MARYVILLE – Think
Brecca Williams has a chance for All-Conference honors
this season?
Incredibly, it would be her first time after the Maryville junior shortstop came up empty in the Collegiate Conference of the South honors list both for 2023 and 2024. She clearly was one of the league's top stars a year ago after finishing fifth in the nation with 64 runs scored and 10th with 69 hits.
Williams did make All-Region Third Team thanks to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
But the Heritage High product has begun 2025 like she intends to leave no doubt to the CCS head coaches who vote on this year's postseason awards.
Williams went 5-for-6 Sunday in a doubleheader sweep of Roanoke and Rhodes, boosting her season batting average to .594. The Scots won 5-4 and 5-4, picking up wins No. 2 and 3 in bouncing back from narrow losses Saturday to those same two opponents.
Head coach
Jill Moore got quite a kick out of watching Williams compete in this weekend's Maryville College Classic.
"It is hard to put into words just how good she is," Moore said. "She is unbelievable, she is our constant, and my goal is to get her to the plate as many times as I can. It feels great when you have players who are going to get it done, and she is that player."
Six Freshman Starters in Game 2
Williams is also the field leader of a team that may be finding itself after a tough opening stretch.
"We had six freshmen in the starting lineup for Game 2 and they're going to learn and learn fast," Moore said. "We are working through some of the adversity and mistakes we've made, but we're getting our experience, we're getting our feet wet, we're figuring out how to play together and I was proud of how everybody on the team stepped up today."
Both victories were of the comeback variety. Roanoke led 3-0 and 4-1 before the Scots scored four runs over their final three at bats. First-year catcher
Tate Romero had the go-ahead base hit in the bottom of the sixth, a two-out single to left scoring
Emma Blankenship. It was Blankenship who began the winning rally with a one-out triple into the right-center field gap.
In the nightcap, Maryville led 2-1 only to watch Rhodes score single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to claim a 4-2 advantage. But the Scots strung together five consecutive hits to start their half of the seventh and scored three runs without making an out.
Seventh-Inning Magic
Campbell White led off with an infield single into the hole at short, and then
Jessica Harris looped a base hit to center on an 0-2 count. Next,
Ashtyn Barga dropped a bunt that stayed perfectly on the third-base chalk line for a single that loaded the bases for Williams.
The senior wasted no time, coming through with a line single to left on the first pitch that scored White and Harris to tie it 4-4. Then it was
Paige Dickinson's turn, and the junior took a 2-1 offering and filled the gap in left-center for the game-winning double.
Dickinson's hit made a winner out of
Tia Stewart, who had a productive day in the circle for the Scots. In addition to the Game 2 victory that evened her record at 2-2, Stewart also earned the save in Game 1. For the afternoon, she pitched three innings and allowed just one run on four hits.
Paige Dickinson was the winning pitcher in Game 1, going six innings and scattering four runs on five hits with four K's.
Sydney Dickinson started Game 2 in the circle and went five innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and striking out four.
Ryleigh Maples had a hit and an RBI in each game, and Barga finished the day 2-for-7 with two runs scored.
Paige Dickinson contributed an RBI in both games, while Blankenship delivered a hit in both games.
The Scots (3-7) play at home again Thursday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Berea. The Mountaineers are 1-3 after splitting a Saturday doubleheader at Centre.
