Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 31, 1994 TAG: 9405310063
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Raiders' Amy Wilfong threw a two-hitter at the Knights and pounded a three-run home run to spoil any comeback plans by Cave Spring in Stonewall Jackson's 7-0 victory in the first round of the Group AAA Northwest Region tournament at Penn Forest Park.
"We had been at the all-region voting Sunday and knew that she was a good pitcher," Cave Spring coach Fuzzy Minnix said. "Even so, I still thought we'd come back."
The Knights, with only three seniors, rallied in the last part of the season to win the Roanoke Valley District regular season and tournament, climaxing with an 8-7 victory over Patrick Henry last week.
"Our goal was to win the district regular season and tournament," said Minnix. "We had to win our last six games in a row to do that."
Wilfong, though, was masterful. Only Cave Spring's Kari Whitney, one of Timesland's leading hitters as a sophomore, managed to avoid striking out against the Raiders' pitcher. Wilfong struck out 10 and gave up only two singles in recording her 13th victory in 18 decisions.
The Knights (15-6) still had a chance when losing pitcher Mary Kallio settled down after a bad first inning in which Stonewall Jackson used a walk, a hit batsman and three singles to score four runs. Kallio shut out Stonewall Jackson (14-7) until the sixth when Wilfong unloaded a two-out, three-run homer over the center field fence for three unearned runs in an inning kept alive by an error.
"That's the first homer I've hit over a fence," Wilfong said. "This game is a school record two ways. It's our first regional game and our first regional win."
Wilfong, who had struck out 144 coming in, said her pitching was OK.
"I was high today, but I think the mound here is high," she said.
Cave Spring, which also had three walks, never had more than one runner in an inning. Whitney, who walked to lead off second, reached third. In the fourth, Whitney reached on an error and got to second. No other Knight got past first.
"We were shaky in the first but after that we settled down," Minnix said. "I really felt as good as Wilfong is that we'd come back."
Defensively, Cave Spring got some good plays, especially from first baseman Brandy Hipp on a shortstop-to-first-to-third double play, that kept the score close.
"This team never gives up," Minnix said. "In the seventh I was thinking of using some of the girls who have been with us all year to pinch hit, but the team didn't want to. They still thought they could come back. That's the kind of fighters they are." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB