Reinhard shines for Lady Eagles

By David Williams
Published in Sports on March 24, 2004 2:08 PM

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SEVEN SPRINGS -- With three games to play on consecutive days, Rosewood softball coach Jennifer Cochran certainly could use some long, effective pitching in their early games.

Freshman Aubrey Reinhard was ready to do her part Tuesday against Carolina 1-A Conference rival Spring Creek.

Reinhard threw her first varsity complete game, allowing one unearned run and two hits as the Lady Eagles knocked off the Lady Gators 7-1 on a chilly afternoon that turned into a frigid evening for the teams and their fans.

Reinhard struck out five and did not walk a batter, not only anchoring a strong defensive effort but also preserving the other arms in the Rosewood pitching arsenal for games this afternoon against Farmville Central and Thursday against Midway.

"We played together as a team," said Cochran. "We've been working on that."

The Lady Eagles (3-5, 1-1) teamed up to take a two-run lead after three innings, adding single runs in the fifth and sixth innings before nailing on three big insurance runs in the top of the seventh.

Jennifer Boren was stellar in all aspects of the game, making several impressive grabs from the stretch at first base and going 2-for-3 at the plate with a triple and a run-scoring single. Boren and cleanup hitter Courtney Hill -- who also went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a triple -- keyed a six-hit attack for Rosewood.

While Reinhard was solid, Spring Creek coach Sonny Kilpatrick said his team helped the young freshman out by continuing their hitting troubles.

"The offense is just not there yet," he said after Troia Morgan and Sara Whitfield collected the only hits for the Lady Gators (1-11, 1-2). "Pitchers from North Lenoir and South Lenoir throw at 100 miles an hour. This pitcher didn't overwhelm us. I don't know what we're doing wrong.

"We will look better on Friday."

Rosewood got on the board as Reinhard and Sarah Poole both got on base via errors to open the third inning. Braswell drove in Reinhard with a groundout and Boren slapped a single to drive in Poole for a 2-0 lead.

The game went to 3-0 in the fifth after Poole drew a two-out walk and advanced on a Braswell single and a fielding error. But the Lady Gators got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Morgan, who reached base on a dropped third strike, scored on a single by Whitfield. The Lady Eagles erased any other chances by pulling a 3-6-4 double play to end the inning.

In the sixth, Hill singled to open the inning and got all the way to third on Lindsey Cotten's ground out, scoring on Shanna Gooding's hit up the middle.

Hill's two-run triple keyed the final scoring in the seventh, with Cotten driving in a run on a ground out. Reinhard retired 15 of the last 18 Spring Creek hitters to prevent any chance of a late-inning comeback.

Kilpatrick praised Lady Gator pitcher Lorenda Brogden, who gave up only three earned runs and struck out four.

"The pitcher did well," he said. "She gave up a couple of hits that were my fault. She put them where I told her to."

Cochran said the win, coupled with a strong effort last week against league power Ayden-Grifton, gives her team a boost of confidence.

"We're getting better," Cochran said. "Our defense really keeps us in it. We can be a top-three team."

Spring Creek will travel to Farmville Central on Friday.

Rosewood 002 011 3 -- 7 6 2

Spring Creek 000 010 0 -- 1 2 4

Leading hitters -- Rosewood -- Jennifer Boren 2-3, 3B, RBI; Courtney Hill 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI; Shana Gooding 1-3, RBI; Kacie Braswell 1-4, RBI. Spring Creek -- Troia Morgan 1-3; Sara Whitfield 1-2, RBI IP H R ER BB SO

Rosewood

Reinhard (W) 7 2 1 0 0 5

Spring Creek

Brogden (L) 7 6 7 3 2 4