Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 7, 1995 TAG: 9506070096
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
William Byrd was in uncharted territory Tuesday, but the Terriers weren't fazed.
Playing in its first Group AA softball tournament, unbeaten William Byrd fell behind Virginia High School 3-0 in the top of the first inning at the Terriers' field. Then, pitcher Tracy Doupnik settled down, Byrd's hitters took over and they rallied for a 6-3 victory that puts them in a semifinal game Thursday at Richlands. The Tornadoes beat Rustburg 1-0.
The Terriers, who have won 23 consecutive games, haven't been behind many times this year - certainly not by three runs before coming to bat.
``I learned a long time ago not to give up on this team,'' said Billy Meador, Byrd's coach. ``In the first inning, our defense wasn't playing the way it can. I knew we had the hitters, but we had to stop them.''
Doupnik did just that after the first. While only one run in that inning was earned, Doupnik was a different pitcher the rest of the way. Only three more hitters for Virginia (19-7) reached base as the senior struck out eight and retired 16 of the last 17 she faced.
Doupnik's story was simple. She finally got her lucky four-leaf clover.
``In batting practice, I find four-leaf clovers and put them in my sliding pants,'' she said after winning her 17th game of the season. ``We didn't take any batting practice today [because of light rain], so I didn't have one.
``My mom and a friend found one for me, so I stuck it in my sliding pants. I knew we had the team to come back and I didn't think they'd score again.''
They didn't, but Byrd (23-0) tied the score in the bottom of the first. Tracy Doupnik's younger sister, Carrie, lined the first pitch from Virginia's Vicki Weichold for the first of five hits that led to three runs.
Carrie had another single and a sacrifice fly that produced Byrd's final run in the fifth, when the Terriers scored three times to snap a tie.
``I knew I couldn't get up there and swing for the fence or I'd pop out,'' Carrie said. ``We had so much adrenaline and we were just fidgeting, making stupid plays.''
Chastity Vandergrift had the key hit of the first inning for Byrd, a two-run single that tied the score. In the fifth, Dana Walton and Wendy Belcher knocked in the other runs to help drop Virginia's record to 19-7.
by CNB