Sometimes all it takes to win is one big inning.
That was especially true Thursday afternoon in northern Baltimore County as host Hereford beat Towson, 4-1.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Bulls (2-9) put the first three runners on base and scored four runs in what amounted to be all the scoring they would need to down the Generals (8-5).
“Sometimes that?ll do it,” Towson head coach Cas Hans said of the Hereford outburst.
Junior pitcher Chris Wallick, who picked up the win for the Bulls, led off the stanza with a line drive to left field that took a tough hop on the left fielder, allowing Wallick to take second base.
Senior first baseman Jackie Koehn followed with a single to score Wallick and tie the game.
Three batters later, junior center fielder Amanda Frantz smashed a ball to deep right field to score both Koehn and shortstop Jess Daniel.
The four runs were all that Wallick would need in the pitchers? circle, as the right-hander quieted the Towson bats to pick up the win. Bulls head coach Sam Bowen was happy with her performance.
With a slow, calm windup, Wallick lulled the Generals to sleep before sneaking her fastball by the batters. She had seven strikeouts.
“She, for the most part, had pretty good control,” Bowen said. “I think she is sort of sneaky fast. It doesn?t look like she?s throwing that hard, but the ball comes in there at a nice pace.”
Bowen said it was nice to face some competition at the Bulls? level after battling some of the area?s larger schools in recent weeks. After a game on Saturday with Kenwood, Bowen?s Bulls will be tangled in a Monday double-header with power Catonsville.
“We?re moving in the right direction,” Bowen said. “Hopefully we can tack on a few more wins.”
This year?s Bulls squad is an inexperienced, hard-working group. Bowen would like to see some more consistency on defense, and said the team has been improving as the season progresses.
“Its sort of like playing golf,” Bowen said. “You get a couple good shots, it keeps you going.”
RAGING BULLS
» Hereford had hits in every inning but the sixth, and had seven in the first six innings.
» The Bulls? bats were responsible for one hit in each of the first three innings, but each time Hereford runners were left stranded on base.
» Wallick and Koehn had two hits apiece, as five of the Bulls starters picked up base hits.
» Frantz?s triple in the fourth inning was the lone extra-base hit of the game for either team. After her booming hit nearly rolled down a hill in deep right field, Frantz scored on a groundout for the Bulls? final run.
