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Middleburg's Mika Wesley slides safely into second base before Columbia shortstop Anna Dansby can apply a tag on Friday night. (BRENT KUYKENDALL/Lake City Reporter)
It was a neck-and-neck battle on the field, just as it is in the current District 2-5A standings and state FHSAA rankings between Columbia and Middleburg.
The exchange of leads stopped early, however, when the Broncos erased a 3-1 deficit in the third inning and rallied for a 5-3 road victory Friday night. It was the Tigers’ third game in three days, finishing the week 2-1.
“It was a big game,” Columbia head coach Cindy Dansby said. "In the whole big scheme of things we lost, but our girls are tired. We had a lot of games this week and we had a lot of excitement (Thursday) night for Senior Night (a 15-0 victory over Riverside).
“I think if our bats would have been what they can be, I really think this would have been a different game.”
Middleburg (8-3) held Columbia (10-4) to four hits as right-hander Lily Bennett earned the victory after coming in relief in the second inning. Bennett came in after CHS took the lead to chase the starter Morgan Beckham, who walked three batters with the bases loaded to help CHS gain its two-run lead.
Bennett went on to pitch 5 2/3 scoreless innings to outduel Columbia righthander Zoryana Hughes, who was solid in the complete-game loss with four hits, nine strikeouts and four walks.
"She did good, but that wasn't her best," Dansby said. "She had to use other pitches than she normally would use. Her tank was a little out of whack tonight. She was on at times, and off at others. As a team, we were right there in the game, but we weren't 100 percent."
By game's end, the Tigers were out two starters. Cleanup hitter Alexis Blair was knocked out of the game after getting called out at home on a tag play off a grounder. Her head hit the catcher's chin during the slide in the second inning.
In the third inning, CHS catcher Emily Delgado aggravated her throwing hand on a foul tip, eventually causing her to exit the game.
"Alexis hit her head on the contact, and Emily had surgery on her finger, and it was bleeding (after the foul tip)," the coach said. "I don't know their status right now; I'll know more after the weekend."
Middleburg stormed out of the gates quickly as leadoff hitter Mika Wesley drew a full-count walk to start the game. She later scored on an RBI double by Kerra Clarida, who attempted to stretch it into a triple but was tagged at third by Blair who took the relay throw that started from right fielder McKenna O'Sullivan to cutoff Alex Collins.
The Broncos led 1-0 after first before the Tigers answered with three runs in the second. They got plenty of help from Beckham, who gave up three bases-loaded walks to force in CHS runs.
Kimber Longs (who doubled), Collins (fielder's choice) and Karis Jernigan (infield single) scored as the Tigers batted around.
But CHS's lead was short-lived. The Broncos took a 4-3 lead in their ensuing turn at the plate, scoring three runs on two hits, the biggest coming off Kaelyn Hagan's two-run double to highlight the rally.
It remained a one-run game until the fifth when Middleburg scored on a passed ball for the final count.
But CHS wasn't without its opportunities in the late innings. From the third to the seventh innings, the Tigers had runners on base, including the fifth and sixth when CHS had leadoff runners reach base.
The biggest threat came in the sixth with the Broncos defense providing the play of the game. With Collings (leadoff walk) on second base and one out, the left-handed hitting Hughes hit a drive to deep right field that was chased down by Middleburg’s Carly Johnson, who made the catch on the yellow marking on top of the left-field fence to rob Hughes of at least a double.
"The play was huge," Middleburg head coach Ashley Houston said. "That was a really solid hit, but Carly has made a lot of plays like that for us all year. For her to play it off the fence like that, and for her to haul it like that, I was really impressed with that. That was a big out for us. It really shut down what could have been a big inning for Columbia."
The Tigers had one last gasp in the bottom of the seventh when O'Sullivan reached on a dropped pop-up by the Broncos catcher with one out. But Bennett responded by recording her fourth strikeout and then getting Long to ground out to second.
"I'm thinking about the big picture here, even when we weren't at our best," Dansby said, "we were still able to compete with a good team like Middleburg. And that's what gets us excited. We're looking forward to our rematch with them, just as I'm sure (Middleburg) is looking forward to their rematch with us."