Ashburn, Va. — A complete game win. A three-run home run. A grand slam. And a region championship. That was Olivia Valbak’s night.
When the Stone Bridge High School junior starter laced up her cleats before the VHSL Region 5C championship game against Freedom on May 31, she had a plan in place: do whatever she could to help her teammates. And she did more than enough to lift the Bulldogs to victory.
“Watching Liv perform like she did was a treat for everybody,” Stone Bridge head coach Billy Rice said. “She’s been doing that stuff all year.”
Even with a pair of home runs and a solid effort in the circle, the highlight of Valbak’s night came in the top of the seventh inning when she induced a soft line drive to second base to seal the deal for Stone Bridge as the Bulldogs claimed the VHSL Region 5C title, 11-6, over the Eagles.
“It was a great team win. Everybody gave their complete effort,” Valbak said. “I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
[adrotate banner=”9″]After allowing a two-run single in the top of the third, Valbak – who was recently named first team All-Potomac District – got her team on the board in the bottom half of the inning as she blasted a three-run home run to center, swinging momentum and the lead back to the Bulldogs.
“It was a really good head start, and something to get us all going,” Valbak said. “It was nice knowing I could help my team out.”
That momentum swing proved to be the difference as Valbak cruised through the fourth before the Bulldogs’ bats got hot.
Stone Bridge junior catcher Jordan Thompson drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Then senior third baseman Maddy Carpe blooped a double to left before senior left fielder Taylor Coon reached on a hard ground ball, scoring Thompson.
With runners on first and second, junior center fielder Lauren Fox picked up her third single of the night to load the bases. Then senior shortstop Elena Gonzalez knocked a single to center to drive in a run.
“If it’s not Liv, somebody else has been doing it,” Rice said. “That’s what so great about this team; they’re picking each other and rolling through it. That what makes this a special team.”
With a 5-2 lead and having already hit a three-run shot, Valbak stepped into the box with the bases loaded and drove a ball over the center field fence to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 9-2.
After scoring two more insurance runs in the fifth, Valbak had a comfortable lead heading into the seventh inning. With one out, Valbak made her only real mistake of the night, catching too much of the plate, as Freedom sophomore reliever Morgan Hess drove a two-run home run out of the park. Despite the late rally, Freedom came up short.
The Eagles and the Bulldogs, however, will both advance to the VHSL 5A State tournament.
Following the loss, Freedom (18-8) will travel to Region 5D champion Mountain View on June 4, while Stone Bridge (24-1) will host Region 5D runner up Halifax County.
“We’re going to swing the bat and put our best defense out there,” Rice said. “You play for the next day, so we’re going to give it everything we’ve got. This team deserves it.”
Owen Gotimer captured more than 90 photos at the game…
Stone Bridge Batting
| Stone Bridge | AB | H | BB | R | RBI |
| Lauren Fox | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Elena Gonzalez | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Olivia Valback | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Emily Sappington | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Olivia Smith | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taylor Hafer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hannah Brown | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mary Quinn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Thompson | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Allison Molthen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Julia Fritz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maddy Carpe | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Taylor Coon | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Bulldogs Totals | 29 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 11 |
Freedom Batting
| Freedom | AB | H | BB | R | RBI |
| Kensley Hess | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Camryn Munroe | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Kerri Golden | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Morgan Hess | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Hope Newton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kylie St. Laurent | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaylee McKinney | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Emma Brown | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Abagail Mills | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Eagles Totals | 32 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
Stone Bridge Pitching
| Stone Bridge | IP | H | R | ER | K | BB |
| Olivia Valbak (W) | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Bulldogs Totals | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Freedom Pitching
| Freedom | IP | H | R | ER | K | BB |
| Emma Brown (L) | 2.1+ | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Morgan Hess | 3.2 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Eagles Totals | 6 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 4 |