MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Maybe there IS something magical about this whole Cannon Field thing.
Maryville made it eight postseason wins in its last eight games at the home of the Huntingdon Hawks, this time knocking off No. 6-ranked Berry 2-1 in eight innings Thursday to open NCAA Regional play. Berry lost for just the fifth time in 46 games this season, while the Scots won their seventh in a row overall and improved to 34-11.
Emily Hill delivered a two-out, two-run double in the top of the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie. It was still scoreless and in the eighth inning only because
Cierra Hudson and
Sara Koonce combined on a tremendous double play to end the seventh and keep Berry off the board.
After Hill's big two-bagger, Berry rallied for a run in the bottom of the eighth and had the tying tally just 60 feet away. But
Megan Ackerman forced a line-out to Hill at first and that was that.
"This team is really special; I've been saying that for a long time," Maryville head coach
Jill Moore said. "They put their heart and soul out on that dirt every time they put the uniform on. This group has really proven themselves and it's fun to watch them play and come out on top."
20th Complete Game
Ackerman went the distance for the 20th time this season and improved to 21-4 in the circle. She scattered eight Viking hits and got a huge double play from her defense to end the seventh inning.
"My goal was to keep my team in the game and give us a fighting chance," Ackerman said. "I didn't care how many hits they had because I knew somebody like Emily was going to come through when we needed it."
Ackerman over 88 pitches struck out three and neither walked nor hit a batter. The run she allowed was unearned, and she lowered her season ERA to 1.31.
"I knew they had some hits," Ackerman said. "But my goal was to get the leadoff batter, and only one or two (three, actually) of those hits were to the leadoff batter.
"When you do that, and you have your team behind you – that throw by Cierra in the seventh inning. That was something, and it shows that this team wants it."
Game-Saving DP, Then Rally Time
Berry's Lauren Cothern led off the last of the seventh with a double to the base of the fence in left center. The Vikings bunted pinch-runner Katelyn Boman to third and then Elly Bennett lofted a fly ball to shallow center field.
Maryville's Hudson made a running catch and used her momentum going forward to throw a short-hop strike to Koonce just in front of the plate. Koonce made the grab and swiped the tag on the sliding Boman for a monster twin-killing that sent the game to extras.
In the Maryville eighth, Hudson drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. One out later, Koonce walked to set the stage for Hill. The lefty's line drive filled the gap in right center and rolled all the way to the fence as Hudson and Koonce circled the bases.
Moore said after the game that Hill "has more heart than anyone you'll ever meet in your whole life." Hill said her heart was pumping just fine as she approached the key at bat of the game.
"I was confident in myself and confident in my team," Hill said. "Whatever I had was going to be put on that field and I was going to compete on every pitch I was in that box. She was a great pitcher, but I just knew that was my at bat and I was going to do my job."
It was not until the sixth inning that Maryville finally reached Berry starter Hannah Gore for a base hit. Hudson and
Brecca Williams delivered a pair of two-out singles and Koonce followed with a hit-by-pitch, but the Scots could not push a run across and left all three on base.
One Viking Hit Each Inning
Berry, meanwhile, finished with exactly one hit in each inning. Eight innings, eight hits. Ackerman for all that constant traffic seemed in command out there on her familiar patch of Alabama clay.
"It's almost my home now," Ackerman said of the Cannon Field pitcher's circle. "We know how this field plays and we are very comfortable out there."
Her coach sees Ackerman rising to the occasion at the peak of her career.
"Megan is on a different level right now," Moore said. "She refuses to lose, no matter what. Whether it's her best or whether she doesn't have it.
"Look at this regional – it is stacked with pitching. Some of the best in the country. I can't put into words how happy I am for her to be put into these moments. She has learned not to expect perfection from herself and knows she doesn't have to do it all. I'm just happy she's in this region and gets to show why she's one of the best. It's her time and she is doing whatever it is we ask of her."
Scots vs. Pioneers
The Scots now face No. 22 Transylvania, which blanked No. 14 Huntingdon 2-0 Thursday afternoon. Maryville and Transy play Friday at 11 a.m. Central time, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship round. Rain chances are pretty high for Friday and Saturday, so stay tuned to MC Scots social media channels for updates.
The Scots swept a doubleheader from the Pioneers in Lexington by the scores of 8-1 and 7-6 back on March 19. Which as Thursday against Berry showed, means nothing.
"Not too high, not too low," Moore said of the team's outlook. "We're going to have fun, we're going to be us, we're going to do it our way and we're just going to keep playing the way we have been playing."
