Down six runs going into the bottom of the fourth inning Tuesday night, the chances of picking up their first win of the season didn’t look promising for the Bolivar Lady Liberators.
But Bolivar rallied for six runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game with Buffalo before pulling out a 17-16 Central Ozark Conference victory.
“The one thing I’m proud of tonight is they gritted this one out. They didn’t give up,” Bolivar head coach Brian Thompson said. “We’ve experienced a little bit of give-up in the previous four games. We’d have a big inning and would kind of lose focus and didn’t stay in the ballgames.
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“Tonight was a different story. I felt that we hit the ball better. We gave up a lot of walks, but defensively, we’re getting better.”
The Lady Liberators (1-4) led 7-3 after the first two innings before the Lady Bison (3-8) pulled ahead 8-7 with a five-run third. Buffalo added another five runs in the top of the fourth for a 13-8 advantage.
Bolivar scored its six, fourth-inning runs on a walk, two singles, a fielder’s choice and three Buffalo errors to tie the game at 13.
With runners at second and third and one out in the top of the fifth, Buffalo scored on a wild pitch. The Lady Bison added two more runs on a Bolivar throwing error to go up 16-13.
Bolivar pulled within a run (16-15) with two runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth.
Buffalo looked to put the game away in the top of the sixth with bases loaded and no one out.
That’s when Thompson turned to sophomore Grayson Rogers, who enticed a 6-2-5 double play before shutting the door on Buffalo on a groundball out to shortstop Taylor Dial.
“With bases loaded and nobody out, we make a base-running mistake, get the double play and that changes the whole aspect of that inning,” Buffalo head coach Eric Ingram said of the top of the sixth. “You figure you’re going to score at least a run and we didn’t score any. That was a huge spot, offensively.”
Taylor Dial got the Lady Liberators’ final rally started in the bottom of the sixth with a double. Shelby Davidson moved Dial over with a single and Darci Cline knocked in Dial on a fielder’s choice. Charlotte Waddelow knocked in the game-winning run as Rheagan Hancock, running for Cline, scored on Waddelow’s single to left field.
Rogers gave up a double and a walk to Buffalo in the top of the seventh. But the Lady Bison were doubled-off second base on a line-drive out to centerfield. Rogers struck out the final batter to give the Lady Liberators their first win of the season.
“It’s the best outing she’s had,” Thompson said of Rogers. “She’s getting better. Tonight, she comes in in relief, throws six and seven and ends up with the ‘W.’
“This was a total team effort. There wasn’t one person, although Grayson sealed the deal for us and got that monkey off our back.”
Waddelow led Bolivar’s offensive attack, going 5-for-5 with four runs batted in, while Cline went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
Blake paced Buffalo, going 4-for-5 and scoring three runs. Junior leadoff hitter Taryn Elia reached base five times and scored three runs for the Lady Bison.
Central Ozark Conference game
BUFFALO (3-8) – 305 530 0-16-13-6
BOLIVAR (1-4) – 430 622 X-17-18-5
Buffalo – Skylar Wimberly and Makenzee Harris; Bolivar – Mackenzie Austin, Shelby Davidson (4), Grayson Rogers (6) and Darci Cline
Hits – Buffalo (13) – Shayla Blake 4 (2 2B), Skylar Wimberly 3, Makenzee Harris 2, Taryn Elia, Emily Rice, Laci Banks and Brianna Cobb. Bolivar (18) – Charlotte Waddelow 5 (2B), Shelby Davidson 4 (2B), Darci Cline 3, Carsyn Julien 2, Taylor Dial 2 (2B), Mackenzie Austin and Addison Martino.
