Purcellville, Va. — After sitting Riverside down in order in the top of the first, Woodgrove High School sophomore pitcher Abbey Lane put on her helmet, picked up her bat, and stepped into the box against one of the most respected pitchers in the Potomac District. On the second pitch she saw, Lane blasted a leadoff double off the top of the centerfield fence and the Wolverines were in business.
“We’ve had a little trouble getting behind early,” Woodgrove head coach Joe Spicer said. “We talked about getting off to a better start tonight and Abbey answered right there. She did exactly what we asked her to do.”
Then sophomore outfielder Alaina Santoli singled up the middle in the next at bat before junior third baseman Michelle Chatfield drew a walk to load the bases.
With the bases loaded, Woodgrove junior shortstop Anni Rohs drew a four-pitch walk as the Wolverines scored their first run of the inning.
Following a pop out to the shortstop, Woodgrove junior first baseman Emma Hooftallen reached on an error which scored Santoli, then Chatfield scored on a wild pitch as the Wolverines took a 3-0 lead in the first.
While the runs kept coming throughout the night, those three were all Lane would need in the circle as the Wolverines defeated the Rams, 10-2, on April 25 in Purcellville.
“We know [Kaylie Avvisato] is a really good pitcher who throws hard and doesn’t walk very many people, so we went in with the attitude of ‘we’re going to take our whacks and see what happens,’” Spicer said. “Tonight, the ball found holes, but tomorrow, who knows.”
[adrotate banner=”58″]After the three-run first inning, Lane struck out the side in the second, and the Wolverines’ offense got right back to it as freshman second baseman Addie McCullers singled to lead off the inning. Lane then singled before she and McCullers advanced on a wild pitch. Then McCullers scored on a passed ball before Chatfield once again walked to eventually set up a second-and-third opportunity for Rohs.
This time, the Virginia Tech-commit doubled to left center to score both Lane and Chatfield as the Wolverines extended their lead to 6-0.
“It was really nice to see our team come together in the first inning and grab the momentum,” Rohs said. “Then it was really nice to add three more runs in the second, because it sort of took the hope out of them.”
Any remaining hope the Rams had was further drained in the fourth when Rohs blasted a solo shot to make the score 7-1.
“From last year to this year, Anni has improved 1000%,” Spicer said. “She’s a real team player, making things happen, getting on base, and getting the job done when we have runners in scoring position. She’s probably the reason we’re having so much success this season.”
With their offensive explosion and a 9-strikeout performance by Lane in the circle, the Wolverines coasted to an important Potomac District win as the race to the top of the league standings heats up.
“I’ve been coaching in this county for almost 40 years now, and I’ve never seen as many talented kids as I’m seeing this year,” Spicer said. “You have to be ready to play every night, and if you’re not, anybody can beat you.”
Derrick Jerry captured 200+ photos at the game!
Woodgrove Batting
| Woodgrove | AB | H | BB | R | RBI | K |
| Abbey Lane | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Alaina Santoli | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Erynn Thompson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Michelle Chatfield | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Anni Rohs | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Morgan Whetsell | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Emma Hooftallen | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Kayla Pilson | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Wynn Drenning | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Addie McCullers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| McKenzie Boyer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 30 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 5 |
Riverside Batting
| Riverside | AB | H | BB | R | RBI | K |
| Lauren Chi | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Hailey Peterson | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaylie Avvisato | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlotte Moore | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kaylan Hoehn | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Marissa Skinner | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tylor-Marie Arnold | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Marley Owens | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hailee Blubaugh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lauren Enright | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 22 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
Woodgrove Pitching
| Woodgrove | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Abbey Lane (W) | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Totals | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
Riverside Pitching
| Riverside | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Kaylie Avvisato (L) | 6 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 5 |
| Totals | 6 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 5 |