BEACHWOOD–Orange trailed host Beachwood 16-10 into the top of the sixth before a 12-run rally led to a 22-20 Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division win on Tuesday.
In a game that saw four ties and lead changes, the Lions worked through it all to earn a much-needed conference win and stay neck-and-neck with Harvey for the league title.
“It was a roller coaster of a game,” said Orange head coach Jerry Jeffrey. “We’ve played a few games like that this year, but with the conference in our grasp, I believed in these girls (to get the win).”
Kelsey Lewis put Orange on top in the first inning with a one-out, two-run triple, scoring on the throw from the outfield for a 3-0 lead after one.
Sarah Korland reached on an RBI fielder’s choice, scoring Clare Hess from third, and Emily Utech roped an RBI single to center for a 5-0 lead.
The Bison rallied in the third inning with a six-spot to take the lead.
Allie Rindsberg singled for an RBI, and Lily Grover worked a bases-loaded walk, cutting the Orange lead to 5-2.
Sydney Forward then scored on a passed ball, and Amaya Brown ripped a two-run single to left to deadlock the game at 5-5. Brown came around to score the go-ahead run on a Kelsey Cohen RBI groundout.
The Lions answered when Utech reached on an error that scored Arnold, and Lewis delivered with another two-run triple, later scoring on a fielding error for a 9-6 lead.
Kayla Glazer added an insurance run with a run-scoring groundout.
Beachwood put together a five-run fourth-inning rally thanks to a two-run Dalilah Harrison single, followed by a Brown RBI single, and with two errors, allowed her and Grover to score to a 10-10 tie.
Cohen broke the tie with an RBI single.
Beachwood rallied again for five more runs in the fifth with a Grover two-run single, Brown RBI groundout, and a two-run error on an Alison Stephens fly ball for a 16-10 lead after five.
“We’ve been down by more and come back (to win),” Jeffrey said. “We had to be selective with our pitches and smart on the basepaths.”
Orange then rallied one more time for 12 runs in the sixth.
Sara Zack and Glazer delivered back-to-back run-scoring hits, bringing three runs across to ignite the rally.
Katie Frankino pushed home a run on an error, as did Arnold, and Korland tied it with an RBI single.
Utech singled to center for an RBI, with another runner scoring on an error, and Lewis delivered again in the clutch with an RBI double.
Zack added another RBI single, and a two-run single from Hess sealed the deal for a 22-16 lead.
The Bison scored four in the sixth with a Grover sac fly and Brown’s two-run double, before scoring on an error.
The Lions have been in these types of games before and leaned on that experience to come away with a big time rivalry win.
“Three of our four wins this season have been large comebacks,” Jeffrey said. “These girls never quit, and the timely hitting is the way it’s been. It’s a roller coaster, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Today we did, it was a good game between two good teams.”
Lewis paced the offense, going 3-for-5 with six RBI and three runs scored, while Utech drove in four runs and scored four more while going 3-for-5 at the dish.
Korland finished 3-for-5 with two RBI, Glazer went 2-for-5 with three more RBI, while Zack worked a 3-for-5 day and drove in two runs, while Hess also brought home two runs on a 2-for-5 outing.
Hess earned the win in the circle, going the distance, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with six walks and six strikeouts.
Beachwood trailed early, then took the lead a few times, but couldn’t catch up after the 12-run sixth.
“You expect that in games like this, with the rivalry. The kids know each other, and it goes back-and-forth,” said Beachwood head coach Mike Coreno. “Outside of that sixth inning, I thought we played a pretty good game, but we also had a big inning where they made errors, too. We were just trading off, and I felt good with us having the last at-bat, and we battled.”
Brown paced the Bison, going 3-for-5 with six RBI, Grover finished 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Cohen went 1-for-4 with two runs driven in, and Harrison drove in two on a 3-for-5 outing at the dish.
Ela Sasmaz went the distance, taking the loss, allowing eight runs on 18 hits with four walks and one strikeout.
Beachwood hosts Chagrin Falls on April 23, while Orange hosts Harvey.
