Simley Scores Four Runs in Final Inning to Rally Past Henry Sibley

For six-and-a-half innings, this looked and felt like a game Henry Sibley girls fastpitch softball would finally put in the win column.

But host Simley rose up and knocked off the visiting Warriors, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to best Henry Sibley 10-9 in Classic Suburban Conference play.

Batting eighth in the order, Simley ninth-grader Maggie Kadrlik knocked in the game-winner with a one-out, hard-hit single to right.

It was Simley’s first win of the season.

“I give them credit,” Sibley head coach Phil Stohr said of the Spartans. “But we were talking and said nine might not be enough. I know with the pitching distance back this year the ball is getting put in play, and you never know.”

“We needed this kind of game,” said Simley pitcher Celina Nehmer. “I thought in the later innings. We really stepped it up in the later innings. We never give up. We always push through.”

Nehmer and Sibley’s Stephanie Gilberg were both called for illegal pitches during Monday’s game, the first time for both pitchers this season. The pitching, however, was mostly lost in a barrage of hits. The two teams combined for 19 hits in the contest.

Sibley seemed in command of the game until the bottom of the seventh, leading 3-1 after one, 5-1 after two and 8-4 after four innings. But the Spartans kept within striking distance, and then put it all together in the seventh.

But it was a tough loss for the Warriors, who came ever so close to breaking into the win column for the first time this season.

Sibley led 9-5 heading into the final three outs. But the Warriors could get only one when Rachel Packer lined out hard to right to open the seventh. Simley scored one run, and then made it a game again when Ellie Ryan slammed a two-run double to cut Sibley’s lead to 9-8. Brittney Willaert then ripped a run-scoring triple to tie the game at 9-all and set the stage for Kadrlik’s game winning hit.

It was a big evening for the Simley hitters, especially the bottom of the order, Ellie Ryan at six, Brittney Willaert at seven, Kadrlik at eight and Maria Dillon at nine, all of whom produced big-time hits for the Spartans.

Sibley also had some clutch hitting.

“We really kind of broke the bats out tonight,” said Stohr. “I was really proud of our team, some clutch hits. We’ve got to tighten things up defensively and then we come back on Wednesday.”

Sibley senior Emily Usset was 3-for-3 with two RBI, Stephanie Gilberg was 2-for-4 with two RBI and junior Rachel Friberg was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI.

Simley (1-2) is scheduled to play at 2010 state runner-up North St. Paul Wednesday in a game starting at 4:15 p.m.

Henry Sibley (0-4) hosts Richfield Wednesday, starting at 4:15 p.m.