ANNANDALE: 11

Cougars Nuke Atoms in Tourney Game

In their final game of the annual Hayfield Spring Break Tournament, the Oakton Cougars nuked the Annandale Atoms for their second win of the season, 15-11.  The game was played in sunny, 60-degree weather.  The Cougars were visiting team based on a coin toss, and the game ended after six innings due to the tournament time limit.

The Cougars offense started the game strong when Cassie Brazinsky, Nicole Berube, Caroline Brogan, and Kaitlin Franco hit consecutive singles, which resulted in three Cougar runs in the first inning.  The Cougar defense also started strong and kept Annandale from scoring in the first inning.

The Cougar offense continued strong in the second inning, scoring six runs on an infield single by second baseman Georgia Brandt, seven walks/HBPs, and several wild pitches by the Atoms’ pitcher.  The Cougar defense, in contrast, looked flabby in the second inning.  The Cougar D committed three errors which allowed several unearned runs to come in as the Atoms scored six in total.

The Cougars plated one run in the top of the third inning when shortstop Caroline Brogan led off with a single to the left side and advanced to second on a wild pitch.   First baseman Katie Edwards hit a single to move Brogan to third base, and she later scored on another wild pitch.  The Cougar defense tightened in the bottom of the inning, retiring the Atoms one, two, three.  The score stood at 10 -6 after three innings.

After holding Oakton scoreless in the top of the fourth inning, Annandale scored three in the bottom of the inning to make the score 10-9, and the Atoms were threatening to meltdown the Oakton lead with runners on first and second bases and one out.  Left fielder Lindsey Smith stopped the Atoms’ scoring chain reaction with a great defensive play, catching a fly ball in left field for the second out and then throwing a dart to second base to double up the Annandale runner before she could get back to the bag.

Oakton pulled away with five more runs in the top of the fifth and sixth innings, powered by singles from Edwards and catcher Kelly Dunlap and an RBI double into left field by freshman relief pitcher Lili Vasquez.  Annandale answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth before time ran out.

Sophomore pitcher Kaitlin Franco, called up from JV for the tourney, started for Oakton in the circle.  She pitched three solid innings, and she allowed only two earned runs.  Vasquez relieved Franco as pitcher for the last three innings, and she allowed only four earned runs.