ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, July 11, 1996 TAG: 9607110054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HAMPTON
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
With only two outs needed, the West came up short in the Virginia High School Coaches' softball game Wednesday.
Monacan's Michelle Meadows, who is headed to Virginia Tech, stroked a two-run home run to left in the ninth inning as the East prevailed 2-1.
The homer came at the expense of William Byrd pitcher Tamassa Adams, who was trying to nail down a save for Michelle Matthews of Woodbridge.
Actually, the East had been in position to go ahead in many innings before taking advantage of its final opportunity. In eight previous innings, the East had wasted five hits and had runners on base in all but two frames. Even Matthews had struggled when she gave up a lead-off triple in the second and then had to strike out four straight hitters (one reached first on a wild pitch) without a run scoring.
Adams retired the first hitter in the bottom of the ninth as she faced the top of the order. However, Dana Crisostomo of Great Bridge got a walk and went to second on the same play because the fourth ball was a wild pitch. Then Meadows hit a ball over the head of Cave Spring's Kari Whitney in left field.
Whitney was the only Timesland player to reach base as she walked on her second appearance. Adams and Lord Botetourt catcher Jennifer Snodgrass were strikeout victims in the top of the ninth as winning pitcher Denise Reagan whiffed the last five West hitters and seven of the nine she faced. Floyd County's Kim Moran had been retired in an earlier inning.
The West's lone run scored in the third when Laura Warner of Richlands, who had one of her team's two hits, stole third and came home when the ball was thrown into left field. Centreville catcher-infielder Toni Ham was the West's most valuable player for outstanding play in the field, while Meadows won the award for the East.
LENGTH: Short : 43 linesby CNB