PREP SOFTBALL: Bulldogs capitalize on wild pitch

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 28, 2017 9:57 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

PRINCETON -- Two outs.

Runners on second and third.

North Duplin pitcher Haley Brogden went into her windup and uncorked an outside pitch that deflected off of the umpire's leg. The ball spun inside the right-side batter's box away from catcher Natalie Ramirez.

Reanna Braswell saw her opportunity.

The Princeton freshman took off toward the plate and slid underneath Brogden's tag on the fifth-inning play.

Princeton 1, ND 0.

"(Coach Terry Braswell) might have said 'go,' but I was in the moment and I saw I could go, so I just went," Braswell said. "I was confident I could make it and I knew we needed a run. It was real exciting."

Beth Braswell did the rest.

The right-handed hurler, who has committed to N.C. Wesleyan, retired six of the final eight batters she faced and preserved the Bulldogs' unbeaten worksheet (9-0) in Carolina 1-A Conference play.

The Bulldogs (12-5 overall) swept the two-game series in a matchup of the last two state 1-A champions. ND won the crown in 2015 and Princeton seized the 2016 title.

"I thought Beth did an outstanding job when we got runners in scoring position," Rebels head coach Ricky Edwards said. "We just didn't get the hit when we needed it. We were right there. It was anybody's ballgame."

North Duplin (11-2, 7-2) put a runner aboard in each inning, but stranded seven runners -- four in scoring position. Braswell yielded four hits and drew support from a defense that committed only one error.

The Rebels attempted three sac bunts on the night.

"Our outfield and infield was solid tonight, which we needed it since we weren't putting the bat on the ball tonight like we normally do," PHS head coach Ashley Braswell said.

Just 24 hours after tossing a no-hitter against Rosewood, Brogden commanded the strike zone throughout the 93-minute affair. She retired 10 Bulldogs on strikeouts, permitted four hits and issued only one free pass.

Oh, but that fifth inning.

Reanna Braswell connected on an infield base knock that ND second baseman Anna Thornton snared with a back-handed web gem. She turned and fired a low throw to first that bounced into the dirt, and nearly rolled into the dugout.

Brogden plunked Michaela Radford.

Karlyn Woodard's sac bunt moved the runners up a base and after a strikeout, Megan Bryant stepped into the box. Seconds later, Braswell's instinct kicked in as she saw Ramirez struggle to find the ball.

"She had a big enough lead," Terry Braswell said. "We won't making the adjustments at the plate hitting the ball. Sometimes you have to make things happen. She's fast enough. I'd take that chance again."