Arcadia Pays Back Earlier Loss With 13-3 Win Over Chincoteague

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Hannah Parks follows through for a tremendous, towering homer to left centerfield.

Story and Photo by Matthew Yoder
Arcadia made up for its only loss of the season, besting Chincoteague at home 13-3.
The Ponies got on the board early after Allie Bell brought Emma Jackson home with a blooping infield single. Jackson put herself into scoring position after hustling to third on a two-out triple.

The Firebirds responded in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs off the bat of Hannah Parks. Parks drove a towering home run to centerfield from a pitch up in the zone.
Both teams posted goose eggs on the scoreboard for a number of innings through the middle of the game, as both starting pitchers, Sydney Jester for Arcadia, and Alex McComb for Chincoteague, dug in and battled hard with first place on the line. Jester benefited from back-to-back innings in the second and third where Chincoteague’s runners were doubled-up in base-running mistakes.

During the same stretch, Arcadia stranded two on base in both innings, as McComb struck out Haley McDaniel in the second, and survived a deep flyout from Bella Williams in the third. Jester further frustrated Chincoteague’s batters with 1-2-3 innings in both the fourth and fifth.

Jackson, who transitioned between outfield and third base throughout the game, made a brilliant diving stop at third in the bottom of the fourth, to keep the Firebirds from extending their lead.

As the game wore on it became increasingly clear that McComb was not only battling a robust, top-down Firebirds lineup, but also a nagging injury to her throwing arm. McComb has gone the distance effectively all season for the Ponies with great resolve, but in this particular game the Firebirds kept coming with patient intensity.

Arcadia began to break out in the bottom of the fifth. Logan Stapleton doubled down the third baseline to lead off the inning. Parks then brought her home with a double for her third RBI of the game. Taylor Fluhart, who pinch-ran for Parks, scored on an error, and later Williams, who reached on the error, scored on a passed ball, extending Arcadia’s lead to 5-1.

Chincoteague’s bats got hot again in the top of the sixth, as they attempted to mount a comeback reminiscent of a week and a half prior. Sara Godwin led off with a single and was followed by McComb and Jackson with infield singles to load the bases. Godwin scored on a wild pitch, but then Jayda Tull made a great play on a lineout from Bell. Lily Mathews narrowed the lead to two with an RBI ground out, but Arcadia stopped Chincoteague from approaching further.

The dam opened in the bottom of the inning, as Arcadia quashed any hope of repeated dramatics. Brianna Montross and Logan Stapleton led the inning with back-to-back doubles, as McComb really began to show signs of injury fatigue, and the Firebirds began to score runs in big bunches. Skylar Stapleton added an RBI double, and Jester, McDaniel, and Montross all supplied RBI hits as the team batted around, scoring eight in the inning for the ten-run victory.

The win moved Arcadia’s record to 5-1, jumping the Firebirds ahead of Chincoteague, who fell to 4-2. The teams face off one more time on Chincoteague Island June 1.

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