Culpeper holds off Highland
By Chris Burke
The CCHS softball team completed a two-game season sweep of Highland School on Thursday, capturing a 5-3 win in Warrenton.
Now, the Devilettes (10-2 overall) have to hope that the game's biggest play did not occur between innings.
As Culpeper prepared to take the field for the bottom of the third, the Devilettes not in the lineup took their usual jog from the dugout to the deep outfield and back. On their return trip, pitcher Bethany Baker stumbled and collapsed in a heap. She immediately clutched for her right ankle, crying in pain.
Following several minutes, Highland's trainer helped Baker onto a golf cart, ankle wrapped, and she was taken to the hospital for x-rays.
"It's a big concern, even if it's a bad sprain, that's going to take a while to heal," CCHS coach Janice Gillespie said. The father of Highland catcher Ella Miller, a practicing doctor, examined Baker's ankle prior to her trip to the emergency room and seemed to believe that it was not broken.
Still, Baker claimed that she heard the ankle "crack" when it rolled over, and she was unable to put any pressure on it.
Without her, Nichole Beall turned in a complete game on the mound for Culpeper, striking out 12. Depending on Baker's health, Beall may have to pitch almost every inning for the remainder of the season.
"Our plan was to pitch Nichole anyway, Bethany was going to be more of a relief person because Beth's back had been hurting her anyway," Gillespie said, referencing another lingering injury that Baker had been fighting to come back from. "(Nichole) is going to tell me if her elbow can't make it)."
Anna Klump, Michelle Fox and Zaneta Puller would be the backup plans if both Baker and Beall cannot throw, with Klump the most likely candidate, according to Gillespie.
They were not needed on Thursday, as Beall battled through all seven innings.
She also reached base all five times - and in 10 plate appearances against Highland this season, got on all 10 times. She walked in all five ABs during last week's 1-0, 10-inning win.
This time, Beall started the scoring immediately, lacing a shot to right field that tipped off the glove of Highland's Sidney Dodson and rolled deep into the un-fenced outfield, allowing Beall to race around the bases.
Sam Robson followed with a double, and then Michelle Beall doubled as well to make it 2-0. Sarah Campbell singled Michelle Beall home, and Culpeper quickly grabbed a 3-0 lead. The Devilettes added single runs in the sixth and seventh off Highland hurler Maire Shaughnessy.
The Hawks (6-8) made a game of it. They punched across one in the fourth on a Morgan Stephens RBI double, then two more in the sixth when Mollie Dooley's bases-loaded single plated two.
But the host Hawks could not overcome their seven errors, leading to three unearned runs.
"We hit the ball, we did everything we could, just errors ... errors killed us," Highland coach Donald O'Meara said.
O'Meara's club had to deal with an injury of its own. Three-year starting second baseman Hannah Safren watched the game in street clothes and was scheduled for an MRI on Friday to determine if she had a stress fracture in her foot. Such a diagnosis would likely end her season.
Minus her, O'Meara had to shuffle his lineup - moving center fielder Wesley Bowers to second baseman, while playing inexperienced outfielders Shondi Josephs and Dodson.
Culpeper has a huge week ahead, with or without Baker. The Devilettes, currently third in the Cedar Run District, have a home-and-home with Osbourn on Monday and Tuesday, then travel to Osbourn Park next Thursday.