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Story by Daniel Woods
Sometimes one big inning is what it takes to seize control of a game and that’s what the Musselman got in its 12-4 sectional final win over Spring Mills on Saturday.
The Lady Applemen plated nine of their 12 runs in the bottom of the second on the way to claiming the Class AAA Region II, Section 1 crown.
“When the girls get going and they’re focused, we can do big things and they showed that today that if they work together, we can do anything that a lot of people would doubt us with,” head coach Fal Brown said.
The Cardinals grabbed an early advantage with two runs in the top of the first but it was all Musselman through the middle innings, taking an 11-3 lead into the top of the fifth.
With an eight-run gap, the Lady Applemen had an opportunity to secure a five-inning, run-rule victory with a scoreless frame but Carissa Ring hammered a solo home run over the left field fence to extend the game.
It didn’t take long for Musselman to respond with Ellie Sloan singling and Miley Weatherford reaching on an error.
That set up for Marissa Wascher to bring the winning run across the plate with a sacrifice fly and put the sectional championship plaque into the hands of the Lady Applemen.
“The girls worked hard and they brought it home,” Brown said, “They knew what they wanted from the jump and they got it so it feels good.”
Bringing the sectional title back to Musselman means a little bit more to Brown, an alumna of the program twice appeared in the state tournament as a player.
“This moment means everything to me. From being in this situation at one point and being able to coach the girls and encourage them to do the same thing, it’s a great feeling,” Brown said.
The Lady Applemen await the winner of the Class AAA Region II, Section 2 finals between Jefferson and Washington.
