Turvey Park through to Wagga Softball grand final after late rally

Staring defeat down the barrel against Saints on Saturday, Turvey Park went into their last batting innings four runs behind and in need a huge improvement in their batting.

But rally they did as Georgina Carter popped a hit between shortstop and left field to send Amanda Gooden across the plate with the winning run.

Down 5-0 after four innings, the late hitting handed Turvey Park a 6-5 win and sees them set up a clash with South Wagga Warriors for the title on Saturday.

In Saints initial batting innings Desi Calder made first after a collision of Turvey players Sarah Carter and Charli Hall spilled the fly ball.

Calder was eventually batted in by a Kadison Hofert centrefield hit.

In response, Turvey had a quick ‘three up-three down’.

Both teams were scoreless in their second dig, despite Jade Olsen having a strong left-field hit.

Such was the case in the third innings when both teams went scoreless despite hits to Tessa McGlynn for Warriors and Turvey Park’s Jane Wadley.

The Saints hit a purple patch in the top of the fourth when they batted in four runs, a potential match-winning tally, as it took the score to 5-0 in favour of the Saints.

Turvey’s Belinda Dennis became Turvey’s first run when she hit deep to third base for a single was advanced to third by an Amanda Gooden two-bagger and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Jade Olsen.

Turvey brought youngster Paris Hall to the pitching plate and a quick shutout was the result.

Turvey Park was also shut out, despite a centrefield hit to youngster, Leila Wadley.

The top of the sixth saw another set of regulation dismissals, with the Saints unable to penetrate the fielders. But Saints kept the score at 5-1 with another shut out of Turvey Park.

For the third consecutive time the Saints were shut out, but still they had a commanding lead and Turvey was set to go down in their second preliminary final in as many years.

So: the bottom of the seventh.

Paris Hall picked her second walk for the afternoon.She was advanced by a Jane Wadley hit to left field. Enter, Stacey Hawkins, the pinch hitter whose fly ball to centre field scores Hall and advances Wadley.

She, in turn, was batted in by Leila Wadley before the second dismissal of Turvey was effected.

With the score now 5-3 favouring the Saints, Turvey continued the batting run with a hit to Belinda Dennis and another to Gooden, who batted in both Dennis and Wadley. Score: 5-all. Olsen picked a walk and with she on first and and Gooden at third, two down, Georgina Carter becomes the hero, popping a hit between short stop and left field which sends Gooden racing in for the winning run.

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