Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 11, 1993 TAG: 9306110336
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Whatever the reason, Glenvar wasn't sharp Thursday as the Highlanders held off Honaker 4-2 in a Group A state quarterfinal softball game at Green Hill Park.
"We made some mistakes that we're not supposed to be making," said Spike Harrison, Glenvar's coach. "They were the kind of things we did in March."
The Highlanders (16-6) advance to a state semifinal Tuesday at St. Paul, a 10-1 winner over James River. First, Harrison might have to convince some of his seniors that a trip to the beach must be postponed until after the state tournament.
"I see the seniors walking around thinking about whether to stay or go to the beach [after today's graduation]," Harrison said. "We're having practice Saturday morning. We'll see who's there. If they're not there, they're gone."
One senior who won't be absent is Bobbie Jo Wright. She was the key player in the Highlanders' victory over the Tigers (12-6), who started freshman Christal Presley on the mound.
Wright gave up six hits and was hit hard at times, but both runs were unearned and the veteran pitcher was too much for Honaker when it counted. Offensively, Wright had two hits. It was her second hit in the fifth that keyed the decisive two-run rally.
After Kristy Robinson walked and moved to second on a sacrifice, Wright fouled off several pitches. "I was just waiting for my pitch," she said.
Wright then lined a hard single to left that scored Robinson. Wright went to third on an error on the play.
She scored on an aggressive base-running play. On a grounder to short, Wright broke for home when Honaker's Melanie Whited threw to first. She beat the throw home to give Glenvar its fourth run.
With a 4-2 lead in the seventh, Wright walked the first hitter before slamming the door on the Tigers.
"I wasn't pitching well today, but I kind of figured my fielders were behind me and would get the outs," Wright said. "Lately, we've been thinking of three state titles in a row. We've come out and everyone's played a good game."
Glenvar fell behind 1-0 in the second. The Highlanders' defense committed four errors, but it led to only one run as Wright induced a pop fly to second that turned into a double play to get Glenvar out of the inning.
Glenvar started bunting in the third to tie the score. "By the second inning, it was obvious we weren't hitting, so we'd have to score anyway we could," Harrison said.
The Highlanders broke through when Robinson scored on a bunt by Amy Vonderhofen.
In the fourth, Glenvar took the lead for good when Kelly Winter singled to center. She raced to third on a grounder to first and scored on Amy Donikowski's sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.
After Glenvar's fourth-inning rally made it 4-1, Whited produced a one-out single and Karnita McGlothlin doubled down the line in left to put runners at second and third with one out. Wright got a line drive out and nearly got out of the inning, but an error by Robinson permitted Whited to score the game's final run. \
In another quarterfinal:
\ St. Paul 10, James River 1: The Deacons (14-0) scored eight runs on five errors en route to a victory over the Knights at St. Paul.
With two runners on in the fifth inning, Jessica Holdbrook's hit up the middle passed through the center fielder's legs to score three runs. The Deacons tacked on two more in the sixth inning on back-to-back home runs by Jill Crouch and Nikki Burke.
Amy Yearly scattered five hits in seven innings to earn the victory for St. Paul. Sherri Allison (17-5) took the loss for James River (19-5). \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB