Highland survives NSA
By Chris Burke
On the phone, as his team made the long bus ride back from Suffolk, VA., Highland softball coach Donald O'Meara proclaimed facetiously, "I'm fine now, but I was in cardiac arrest about 30 minutes ago!"
The reason for O'Meara's angst was his team's heart-stopping VIS quarterfinal game at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. The Hawks held on for a 2-1 victory, but it turned into a white knuckle affair.
Highland jumped out on top with a run in the first, and added a second in the fourth.
Host NSA stretched those two runs to the limit. The Saints loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the sixth against Hawk pitcher Maire Shaughnessy. But the DAC Pitcher of the Year wiggled out of the huge jam, striking out the next three NSA batters.
Then, in the seventh, NSA finally scored and advanced a runner to third with two outs. The Saints then attempted a bunt, but Highland second baseman Hannah Safren came through with a clutch defensive play to seal the victory.
Highland advances to the semifinals on Friday in Richmond against a to-be-determined opponent.