The Henderson-Vance 12-and-under girls softball team finished second in the National Division at the Babe Ruth World Series by beating Liberty (Chesterton), Ind., 6-5 today in Cherry Hill, N.J.
With the win, Henderson-Vance completed pool play with a 3-1 record and advanced to the double-elimination championship round. The Henderson girls will play at 11 a.m. Wednesday against the American Division’s No. 3 seed, which could be any one of three teams. This afternoon’s games will determine the opponent.
Henderson-Vance, the Southeast champion, now has established itself as one of the six best teams in the nation. But today’s win wasn’t easy.
Henderson-Vance jumped out to a 6-0 lead, then held on as Indiana’s four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth and final inning fell just short.
The Indiana team outhit Henderson-Vance 7-5 and had the edge in earned runs 5-4, but six Indiana errors helped Henderson-Vance build what proved to be an insurmountable lead.
Catcher Victoria Burwell was the offensive star for Henderson-Vance. She was 2 for 3 at the plate with two runs and two RBI.
Third baseman Morgan Adcock went 1 for 2 with a walk, two runs and two stolen bases. Jordan Garrett, who started in the outfield and pitched the final three innings, picked up an RBI with a hit and a sacrifice. Second baseman Brooke Pulley also had an RBI, and starting pitcher Jessica Rowland had the other Henderson hit.
Henderson-Vance jumped on top in the first inning with three runs on two hits and two Indiana errors, then added two runs in the third with a two-out rally aided by an error and two wild pitches. Henderson-Vance picked up its final run without a hit in the fourth, thanks to three walks, a stolen base, a passed ball and an error.
At that point, Indiana had no hits after Rowland pitched her third strong game in four outings. She gave up two walks and struck out six during her three shutout innings.
Garrett took the mound in the fourth, following the pattern Henderson-Vance used in each game, and she kept the no-hitter going until the fifth.
Taylor Harlow led off the fifth with a single for Indiana and scored on an RBI single by Celia Charlson. Indiana went on to load the bases with another single and a walk. But Garrett cut down one runner at the plate on a comeback ground ball, then induced a flyout to end the inning.
Garrett had a tougher time getting out of trouble in the bottom of the sixth. Three doubles, a triple and a sacrifice fly produced four runs to cut the lead to 6-5 with two outs. With the bases empty again, however, Garrett got Ryan Bozak to pop out to second baseman Pulley.