By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – The last pitch of a not-so-instant classic was the one Sara Williams had been waiting for – definitely all night, if not her entire life. It was the dream scenario, the hero’s swing and the unforgettable moment. Williams, and her senior teammates, will never stop replaying this one.
At the end of a marathon, extra-inning battle, Williams came through in clutch fashion, crashing a game-winning double off the center-field fence to chase home Tori Nikirk with the walk-off run as Bedford North Lawrence finally vanquished Jasper, recording a thrilling 6-5 triumph in 11 grueling innings on Thursday night.
The Stars were honoring their three seniors, and each played a huge role in this three-hour test of will and determination. But it was Williams, a junior who had been struggling with her confidence, who donned the superhero cape with her only hit of the intense clash. The joyous celebration on the infield was her One Shining Moment.
Here’s the scene. Nikirk started the inning by getting hit by a pitch from Jasper reliever Bryn Smith, and Kendall Graves drew a one-out walk. With two outs, Williams hammered a drive deep into the darkness, with the ball sailing over the head of Jasper center fielder Ella Erny. Nikirk cruised home with the winning run, then joined the charge to surround Williams in the group-hug celebration.
“In other at-bats, I didn’t have a plan,” Williams said. “But I went up there with a plan. It just felt good. I really needed that.”
The original plan was to toast Nikirk, Graves and Ava Ratliff – the senior triumvirate – with a drama-free win as a prequel to the party in their honor. That changed when the Wildcats (14-9-1) scored three runs in the fifth for a 5-2 lead. That unexpected turn of events jangled a few nerves in the BNL dugout.
The Stars (18-9) battled back. Ratliff, the state career record holder for home runs, blasted a two-run bomb in the bottom of the fifth. BNL pulled even on Sophia Jewell’s RBI double in the sixth. That set the stage for more drama with each passing inning.
Jasper threatened in almost every frame after that – runners on first and third with one out in the seventh, a runner in scoring position with one out in the eighth, a lead-off double in the 10th, two hits with one out in the 11th. BNL pitcher Macee Nicholson escaped more trouble than a burglar in a police chase. And there was some controversy with all that dodging. In the 11th, Jasper’s Brianna Barrix swung at a pitch, with the ball rolling to Williams at third. Barrix thought the ball hit her foot off the bat, thus being a foul ball, but Williams stepped on the bag for a force out and fired to first for a huge double play. Jasper coach Matt Pryor howled in protest, to no avail as neither umpire called the foul ball.
“We played it out, and they didn’t,” BNL coach Brad Gilbert said. “That’s part of the hustle.”
What played out from there was the Williams game winner.
“She needed it,” Nikirk said. “That’s definitely a confidence booster for her. That’s what we want for her. It was a fun game, I don’t know what else to say.”
BNL scored in the first as Nikirk singled, Ratliff walked and Graves scorched a RBI single. Jasper took a 2-1 lead in the third on two walks and two bunts, but Graves ripped a solo homer leading off the fourth. Jasper’s three-run response included a RBI double by Olivia Young and a two-run double by Carlee Rogers.
Nicholson worked seven innings in relief, most without a safety net while her defense got big outs. Rogers finished with three hits.
“Macee pitched a great game, a great game,” Gilbert said. “She had to grind and grind. That was a great effort.”
Graves and Ratliff both had two hits, including the home runs. “I’m just trying to take everything in, not take a moment for granted,” Ratliff said.
“Nobody wants to lose on Senior Night, and all the seniors did something great to help,” Gilbert said. “They’ve been a huge part of our success. Every year, you’re not sure what leadership you’re going to get. I’m just so proud of them. They’re great leaders, they really are. They just made our program better.”
Losing in extra innings, with the emotional senior sendoff to follow, could have been a devastating setback. Instead, it could be a springboard. “We didn’t give up,” Graves said.
“That’s exactly what we needed, to get ready for the postseason,” Gilbert said. “Sara has been just letting in fly, she’s been close so many times. So for her to hit that pitch, I thought it was gone. She was hunting a pitch and got it.”
BNL, if it can muster the emotional energy after such a draining win, will visit Trinity Lutheran on Friday.
