Girls advance to district finals

From staff reports
Published: May 22, 2008

Sometimes, it’s good to change things up.
Turning around and batting lefthanded, Orange County High School pitcher Micalah Sacre dinked a flare into centerfield that scored the only run the Hornets would need in beating William Monroe 2-0 Tuesday night.
The Jefferson District regular season champion Hornets were hosting the Dragons in the district tournament semi-finals.
And for five innings, the two rivals battled each other toe-to-toe.
Sacra set the Dragons down three up, three-down in each of the first two innings before giving up a two-out walk in the top of third to number nine hitter Lauren Thompson for the first Monroe baserunner. A grounder to Orange shortstop Heather Jenkins ended the inning.
Dragon pitcher Taylor Collier retired the Hornets in order through four innings, before giving up a lead-off single to Jenkins in the bottom of the fifth. Second baseman Megan Roberts advanced her to second on a sacrifice, but she could get no further after a flyout and a grounder back to the pitcher ended the inning with the game still in a scoreless tie.
Monroe threatened in the top of the six, after Dragon Brittnee Conley struck out but advanced to first on a passed ball. She took second on a wild pitch and represented Monroe’s first real scoring opportunity.
But Sacre bared down and struck out Jessica Morris and Melanie Lamb to end the inning and the threat. Sacre recorded the odd four-strikeout inning, despite Conley’s reaching base.
In the bottom of the sixth, Hornet centerfielder Cali Allen worked the count full before drawing a lead-off walk. She took second on a wild pitch, but leftfielder Kate Searcy couldn’t advance her to third.
Christina Spencer hit a grounder that caught Allen in a run-down, eventually out just short of third base. Still, she kept the Dragons defense busy long enough for Spencer to take second and replace her in scoring position.
Sacre stepped to the plate to bat lefthanded after batting righthanded her previous two trips.
Monroe coach Salita Sullivan called a timeout and tried to settle her girls, who clearly seemed a little rattled about the Hornet baserunners.
Still, there were two outs and only one more needed to avoid the threat.
After taking a couple good hacks at Collier’s offerings, Sacre dumped a flyball into shallow center. The Dragon defenders, who had had trouble communicating all game, couldn’t come up with the sinking hit and Spencer sped home.
That was the only run Orange would need.
But for good measure, Orange catcher Paige Pritchett slapped a solid single to left, plating Sacre and giving the Hornets a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish.
Sacre set the Dragons down in order in the top of the seventh, striking out Bethany Leake, getting Samantha Lawson to ground out to Jenkins and finally Katelyn Roach to ground out to Spencer to end the game.
Sacre struck out 14 Dragons in the no-hit shutout. Monroe’s only baserunners reached by walk or error and none advanced further than second.
Collier struck out seven Hornets, giving up three hits and two runs.
The Dragons advanced to Wednesday’s district final against the winner of the Fluvanna-Monticello game Tuesday night.

After a one-game playoff between Monticello and Orange County was needed to decide the Jefferson District’s regular-season softball champion, it’s anybody’s guess who will capture the tournament title. Orange County prevailed in Wednesday’s tiebreaker game, 2-1, after splitting with the Mustangs earlier in the season.
The win gives the Hornets (17-4) the automatic Region II berth and a first-round bye in the district tournament, which begins today.
“I told them at the beginning of the season, it was theirs to take,” said Orange County coach John Henry Ryder. “The win [Wednesday] was really big for us - we get to advance to the region tournament and play at home, so it’s a big advantage.”
Monticello (15-5) secured the No. 2 seed and will play host to Charlottesville today at 5 p.m.
“I’m really excited about the tournament,” said Monticello coach Beth Humphrey. “I look forward to hopefully getting a rematch with Orange in the championship game. The district has been even up and down this year - all teams have the ability to beat each other. We knew we had to refocus [after the loss] and we’re working hard on that.”
Other quarterfinal games include No. 5 Louisa County at No. 4 William Monroe and No. 6 Western Albemarle at No. 3 Fluvanna County.
Orange’s only other regular-season district loss came against William Monroe, which also beat Monticello.
“It should be a good tournament,” Ryder said. “It will come down to who throws the ball well, who makes the least mistakes and who hits the ball well.”
Pitching has been a strength for the Hornets all season, with Heather Jenkins and Micalah Sacre leading the way. According to Ryder, his team is putting it all together.
“Right now we’re pitching really well, and we’ve started hitting the ball,” Ryder said. “And it’s happening at the right time.”
In Wednesday’s win over the Mustangs, Sacre, a freshman, recorded 13 strikeouts and scored both runs for the Hornets. Jenkins was 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Orange County will host the semifinals and final of the tournament, which will be held on May 20 and 22, respectively.
The Hornets will also host a first-round region game on May 26 against an opponent to be determined. 

By Devan Grayson
Review Sports Correspondent

The Hornets softball team an exciting victory over Monticello Wednesday May 14th, in Fluvanna, 2-1.  The win gave them the district title.  After a coin toss, it was decided that Orange would have the advantage over Monticello playing as the home team.
Monticello scored in the first inning and after that, the Hornets played strong defense to keep the Mustangs from scoring anymore.
In the first inning, Monticello intentionally walked pitcher Michala Sacre.  Sacre was able to steal second, third, and home off of passed balls to the catcher, tying up the game, 1-1.
The Hornets did not score again until the bottom of the sixth.  Once again, Sacre was intentionally walked.  Then, catcher Paige Pritchett had a beautiful sacrifice bunt that moved Sacre to second.  Up next, shortstop Heather Jenkins ripped the ball down the first baseline bringing in Sacre for an RBI, making the score 2-1.
Sacre pitched for the Hornets, managing 13 strikeouts.  The girls played well in the game as they have all season, allowing them to bring home the district title.

May 13th Home- Western Albemarle

On Tuesday May 13, Orange hosted Western Albemarle for their senior night game conquering the Warriors, 8-0.  Before the start of the game, outfielders Alicia Humes and Alisa Washington were recognized as the two seniors on the team.
The game began and runs started racking up in the third inning when freshman Michala Sacre hit a single to second base that knocked in two runs, making the score 2-0.
In the fourth inning, freshman Mandi Murphy hit the ball away for another RBI.  Up next was Washington who hit a single and managed to steal second, third, and home off of passed balls to the catcher.  Later in the inning, Sacre crushed the ball to the fence in right field earning two RBIs, 6-0.
Both Murphy and Washington had RBIs in the fifth, making the score 8-0.
Junior Heather Jenkins, Washington, and Sacre all pitched during the game, and Sacre got her 100th strikeout of the season.  The win improved the team’s record to 16-4 and 10-2 in the district putting them in position to play for the district title.