Eastern Wayne softball ends 41-game skid in conference play

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 3, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Eastern Wayne's Trisha Bell won't forget her final at-bat against Southern Wayne any time soon.

The senior infielder helped halt two long -- and frustrating -- losing streaks for the Warriors on the softball diamond Thursday afternoon.

Bell scored the game-winning run on Emily Uzzell's double down the left-field line, which capped a come-from-behind, 6-5 victory in the archrivals' annual cross-county Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference contest.

Eastern Wayne snapped a 29-game skid since 2013 and a 41-game skid that lasted three-plus seasons against ECC opposition.

"It's taken forever, I'm so happy," said Emily Uzzell, who was mobbed by her teammates after tossing a complete game inside the pitcher's circle.

Tied at 5-5 through six innings, Bell stepped into the box and worked Saints right-hander Haley Warren to a 2-2 count. Bell fouled off the next pitch in the strike zone, but the umpire called catcher's interference.

A surprised Bell trotted to first base.

"I hit her glove and I really thought I broke her hand," Bell said. "Then, I was like, 'wait a minute, that's catcher interference and I'm on base.' It (bad luck) happens and it came out in our favor."

Tammaria Smith hit a shallow fly ball to center field and the Saints' defense thought Bell might break for home. Bell raced to third on the wild throw.

Two pitches later, Uzzell connected on her game-deciding double. The Warriors (1-10 overall, 1-5 ECC) stranded Emily Newsome, who singled and stole second base.

Uzzell did the rest on the rubber.

The right-hander retired the Saints in order in the seventh and recorded nine outs against the final 11 batters she faced. Southern Wayne (1-9, 1-3) had tied the game at 5-all in the fifth on Nicole Allen's single -- just the team's second hit in 10 attempts with runners in scoring position.

"I threw some change-ups ... worked the ball in and out (on the plate) and threw some balls up (in the zone). It started working," said Uzzell, who threw 64 strikes on 91 total pitches.

Bell accounted for the Warriors' first run when she reached on a dropped third strike and scored on Kaela Parks' two-out single. The Saints answered with a three-spot, that included a two-RBI double by Warren.

Eastern Wayne pulled to within 3-2 in the third and took the lead with its fifth-inning uprising. The Warriors collected nine hits against Warren, who logged 14 strikeouts inside the circle.

"I asked Haley if her back hurt because she carried the whole team on her back -- offensively and defensively," said SW head coach Alyssa Bradshaw, whose team couldn't overcome the catcher's interference call, dropped third strike and five errors.

"Eastern Wayne played great. I give all the props to them. They did what they had to do to win the ballgame."

Tamarria Smith (two RBI) and Newsome (two RBI) emerged as the offensive leaders for the Warriors with two hits each.

"We were upset last night because we played our hearts out," said Bell of an 11-10 loss to Farmville Central on Wednesday. "Tonight we were flat, but we got the fire under our butt, played our hearts out (again). We wanted it and it came.

"We're ready to turn the page and starting getting some more (wins)."

Saints' lead-off hitter Mary Kornegay (3-for-4), Warren and Cathryn Jones combined for seven hits.