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Springstead sophomore Shannon Cataldo rips a two-out single to right field plating Amanda Drawe to cap a wild four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning sealing Monday night's come-from-behind win over HCA, 5-4.

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By TONY CASTRO SPORTS EDITOR

Hernando Today

Published: March 30, 2009

SPRING HILL - Sophomore outfielder Shannon Cataldo ripped a two-out, run-scoring single to right field to plate Amanda Drawe for the tie-breaking run off Hernando Christian Academy closer Courtney Riddle to cap a four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning Monday night to propel Springstead (5-14 overall) past the Lions (14-4), 5-4.
Cataldo, who came into the game hitting .261 with 12 runs batted in, finished 2-for-4 with the pivotal RBI to help snap the Lady Eagles' county-high 7-game losing skein.
"A lot of pressure came off on that hit," admitted the 16-year-old Cataldo. "There's been a lot of pressure on us (to snap the streak). It makes me feel a little bit more confident going into our next game."
What was the key?
"(Eagle pitcher) Brittney (Flannery) stayed strong the whole game," shared Cataldo. "And even when we were down 4-0, we all stayed pretty relaxed. I think the majority of us thought we could pull this out."
From the visiting dugout, HCA Head Coach Ernie Chatman thought the game boiled down to fundamentals.
"It's all about execution offensively and defensively," insisted Coach Chatman, after his team saw its three-game winning streak snapped. "There were plays to made before the seventh and we didn't make 'em. And you simply can't give away outs."
Biggest positive?
"We hit the ball (eight hits for both teams) and they caught some line drives but so did we," said Chatman. "I thought other than one bad inning, we played well defensively."

Lions lead early

Early on, HCA appeared poised for it's first-ever sweep of the Eagles.
Red-hot Madison Manuel's two-out double in the first inning plated Heidi Riley, 1-0 HCA.
In the third inning against Flannery, HCA sent nine batters to plate scoring three on five hits. Melissa Weaver's ground out plated Riddle, who had tripled to right, 2-0.
Manuel added an RBI single and an Eagle error plated Riley, 4-0. Manuel, Riley and Butler each finished with two hits apiece.
The hosts got one back in the bottom of the third as Drawe reached on a fielder's choice and raced home on a two-out double by Olivia D'Acunto, 4-1.
HCA turned a line drive to second sacker Weaver into a double play in the fifth.
Meanwhile, SHS stayed in the hunt turning a pair of twin killings.
Weaver fouled out to catcher Jen Stevens, who zipped a throw to second baseman Lizzy Markidis covering first.
In the sixth, HCA pitcher Alicia Field lined sharply to third sacker Drawe, who fired to Markidis covering the bag for a second double play.
The versatile Markidis had not played in the past eight Springstead games, including seven losses.
In the seventh inning, Flannery opened the frame with a single to right.
Here, Springstead skipper Craig Swartout inserted courtesy runner Monica Vega.
Then came the play of the game.
SHS leadoff Brittany Martinez grounded to Weaver for what appeared to be a Taylor-made double play. Instead, Vega froze. Weaver, instead of trying to tag the runner, chose to simply throw the relay to first base which erased Martinez. But with Vega churning for second, the relay throw from first toward second base skipped into left-center field.
Jamie Lee Basinger followed with her second double of the game placing runners at second and third.
Here, Markidis grounded to third, but a poor relay pulled the first sacker off the bag for an error as Vega scored, 4-2.
Drawe, who was 0-for-3 stepped in, and rapped a two-run double down the third base line scoring Basinger and Markidis, 4-4.
Here, Coach Chatman as he did the week before in a similar situation opted for Riddle, the closer.
She immediately enticed D'Acunto to pop out for the second out.
But Cataldo followed with an RBI single that did not draw a throw to the plate sealing the improbable, 5-4 comeback win for the Eagles.

Drawing the line

Drawe, who came in hitting .406, said afterward she was looking for a pitch to drive in the seventh.
"We had guys on and I knew I needed to get a hit and score a couple," she recalled. "This (win) is very satisfying. It feels good to contribute. So far, a lot of stuff hasn't gone right for us. This certainly brought up our morale."
And Cataldo's hit?
"It was perfect placement," shrugged Drawe. "In my mind I was picturing a collision at the plate: a bang-bang play. I thought it was gonna be an all or nothing play."
What did Flannery think?
"When we were down 4-0 I couldn't let my teammates down and allow them to score more runs," admitted the 15-year-old Flannery, who improved to 3-2 overall. "It was an amazing win. We all really needed this."
Coach Swartout admitted Monday's win belonged to the entire team.
"Everybody chipped in," said Swartout. "I was really impressed though with Flannery's poise. She doesn't say a whole lot. She's real quiet. But she doesn't allow things to get to her. I thought she got stronger as the game went on."
How big was the comeback?
"Hopefully, this will be the start of something," replied Swartout. "There are no more excuses. Everybody is back (except Shelby Vaccaro- knee). We've got our team on the field."

Springstead 5, HCA 4 (6 2/3 Innings)
123 456 7 R H E
HCA 103 000 0 -- 4 8 3
SPG 001 000 4 -- 5 8 2
HCA – Field, Riddle (7) and Riley.
SPG – Flannery and Stevens.
W – Flannery (3-2). L – Field (11-2).
2B – Riley, M. Manuel (HCA); Basinger (2), Drawe, D'Acunto (SPG).
3B – Riddle (HCA).
Records – Hernando Christian Academy (14-4 overall), Springstead (5-14 overall).

Sports Editor Tony Castro can be reached at 352-544-5278 or online at acastro@hernandotoday.com.

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