By Josh Bronson
Pilot staff writer
A three-run seventh inning propelled the Brookings-Harbor High School softball team to a dramatic 4-1 victory over the Junction City Tigers Friday afternoon in the first round of the state playoffs.
andquot;We just came out and put it on,andquot; Coach Steve Padilla said of the big inning. andquot;We got four big hits by four of our seniors and that was great to see.andquot;
With the game tied at 1-1 heading into the top of the seventh, senior Kara Miller got the Bruins started off in the right direction as she led off the inning with a double off the wall.
Senior Jessie Goergen followed with an RBI base hit as she knocked in Miller from second to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
Two batters later, senior Jennifer Sirchuck hit a monster double to the wall to score Goergen, and put the Bruins up 3-1.
With two outs, senior Jamie Kay gave the Bruins a three-run cushion as she singled and scored Sirchuck from second, who safely slid home to finalize the scoring at 4-1.
Goergen then retired the Tigers in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win for the Bruins.
andquot;I'm just really proud of how we played and how we stuck together in a tight game,andquot; Padilla said.
The Bruins struck first in the game as they tallied a single run in the top of the first inning.
Freshman Jillian McCool led off the game and reached base via a Tiger error.
Miller then bunted McCool over to second base.
With two down, Sirchuck stepped up to the plate and recorded her first RBI of the game with a single that scored the fleet-footed McCool from second to give the Bruins an early 1-0 lead.
Goergen and the Bruin defense held the Tigers scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Junction City added a lone run to tie the game at 1-1.
andquot;On the mound, Jessie just did an outstanding job and made adjustments when she needed,andquot; Padilla said.
At the plate, Sirchuck led the Bruins with three hits and two RBI, while Kay and Miller each had two hits apiece.
andquot;Jennifer (Sirchuck) has just been tearing up the ball lately and I'm really happy to see Jamie (Kay) hit as well,andquot; Padilla said.
The Bruins (10-5, 15-11) now advance to the second round of the playoffs to take on the Henley Hornets on Tuesday, May 20 in Klamath Falls.
Henley is the No. 1 seed out of the Skyline League and finished the season with a 14-1 league record and 18-6 mark overall.
