Southern Wayne's Bryan performs in clutch

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on April 4, 2017 8:50 AM

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DUDLEY -- It was crunch time for Southern Wayne pitcher Mackenzie Bryan.

Eastern Wayne loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh. The Warriors were eager for a last-ditch comeback. But Bryan responded with a simple, 'no thanks.'

The Saints' sophomore ended the inning by striking out the side, and helped seal an 8-6 victory over EW Monday night.

After opening the season 1-5, SW has now won three of its last four games.

"(Bryan) had an off night," said Saints' head coach Jamie Williams. "It was not one of her better performances, but she didn't let the bad moments define her in the game. She came up big and showed the leader that she is."

SW jumped to a 3-1 lead in the second inning. Then the Warriors began to make Bryan work for her pitches.

EW's Emily Newsome hit an RBI groundout in the third frame to bring the score to 3-2. In the fourth inning, the Warriors busted the game open with three runs on three hits. Emily Uzzell, Chloe Smith and Paige Neiman each recorded an RBI.

EW snatched a 5-3 lead.

"We were swinging at good pitches," said Warriors' head coach Casey Mitchell. "And that's something I've been talking to my team about -- being disciplined when you're up at the plate."

After that, Bryan decided to help herself out from the batter's box. The young Saint slammed a bases-clearing RBI double in the fifth, which spearheaded a five-run inning.

Just like that, the Saints reclaimed a 8-5 advantage.

"(Bryan) was getting frustrated early in the game," Williams said. "She's been struggling at the plate, but she made her adjustment at a key time. I love that she did not drop her head and let that get the best of her."

In the sixth and seventh inning, Bryan allowed two hits, two walks and a run. However, she balanced her struggles with five strikeouts in the final two frames.

Bryan finished the game with 10 total strikeouts.

"They started to get carried way and slack," Mitchell said. "We were swinging at pitches and then watching the third strike and just weren't being good at the plate."

SW's Rebecca Coor (two RBI) and Dawn Anderson led the Saints with two hits apiece. Jaela Parks and Uzzell paced the Warriors with two hits.

Williams said she was pleased with the win, but felt the team could've generated more offense.

The first-year coach wants to keep her players from getting complacent.

"We can't sleep on anybody," Williams said. "I think they came in a little lackadaisical, just from looking at records. Records don't mean anything. Any given day, anybody can be beat. They know they have to come out strong."