During Indian River High School’s last softball game of the season, the Lady Indians and St. Georges were tied at 3-all by the fifth inning. No one would score again until overtime in the ninth, when St. Georges won the first round of state tournament, 8-3.
Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark
Indian River’s first-baseman stretches for a catch at the plate. Indian River lost 8-3 in overtime to St. Georges.
“It was a good game. We had our chances to win. And things just didn’t work out,” said head coach Chris Megee.
Plenty was happening on field, but teams had trouble sealing the deal. Of IR’s 10 girls left on base during the game, eight were in scoring position.
IR’s Karlie Smith started the scoring with an RBI double in the first (and another in the third, immediately after two St. Georges runs).
With bases loaded and one out, IR had threatened back in the eighth, but St. Georges pitcher Gabby Clark got the next two batters on a strikeout and a pop-up. After having an opportunity to win, Megee said their momentum sank as they marched back to the field.
In the ninth, a St. Georges single and double were followed by a triple, scoring two runs. Another double and single would shuffle another three runs for St. Georges.
Now IR was behind by five points.
“We had been working so hard at trying to get that last run. … Five starts seeming out of the realm of possibility sometimes. Realistically, the odds are a lot longer,” Megee said.
“It’s humbling,” Megee added. “It’s about adversity and being able to put those things behind you and play defense and take another shot at offense.”
Although this year’s team did not have prior playoff experience, they had played nine innings at Appoquinimink earlier this season.
“In that type of game, we say, ‘Keep your head up and move on,’” said Megee. “I’m just glad the seniors got a chance to experience playoffs before they graduated, and the freshmen experienced it in their first year, and the juniors know what to do for next year.”
Overall, IR nearly doubled its wins, 13-5, over last year’s 7-11 record, and they played much closer games, winning two games by one point, whereas last year they lost four by the same margin.
Megee credited pitcher/catcher team Rachel Hudson and Sarah Hickman, also anticipating a bright future for the team with freshmen Ky’Lesha Neal, Eliza Bomhardgt, Callie McDowell and Casey Hitchens, who stepped up to pitch briefly this season.
Anamaria Impastato and Karlie Smith also earned First Team all-state honors, while Megee was named state Coach of the Year.
“That all goes back to the players. I can’t run, throw or hit for ’em, but they definitely did a good job representing our team,” said Megee.
He also recognized assistant coaches Chuck Shockley, who, he said, keeps things “calm, cool and collected,” and Erika Brittingham, all-state pitcher and champion at Sussex Central and all-American at Salisbury University.
“I thought everybody gelled together and we came together as a team. The name on the front means a lot more than the name on the back of your shirts,” Megee said, also thanking parents for supporting the students and team as a whole.
Ultimately, the Indians aren’t satisfied with the way things ended, and with a returning crew and next year’s incoming freshmen, Megee is looking for IR to take the next step toward victory.