Greenbrier upends rival Evans

Lauren Masters danced on first base and pointed to her teammates, who were going crazy in the Greenbrier High School dugout.

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Wolfpack coach Garrett Black pumped his fist and walked part of the way down the third-base line.

The celebration was the result of Masters' squeeze bunt in the bottom of the sixth inning that scored the go-ahead run in the Wolfpack's 3-1 win over rival Evans.

The game had a playoff atmosphere, even if it meant nothing in the standings for either team.

"You don't want to leave anything out there," Greenbrier pitcher Katie Tracy said. "You don't want to lose on your home field to Evans."

It was the final home game for the Wolfpack's two seniors, Jasmine Butler and Madison Welder. Butler scored the tying run, but it was two sophomores and a freshman who contributed the key plays for the Wolfpack.

After Evans took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth, Greenbrier sophomore Savanah Koon's sacrifice fly tied the game. Then Masters, a freshman, laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score the go-ahead run from third. Sophomore Liz Kelligan drove in an insurance run.

"They stepped up to the plate and did big things," Black said of his young standouts. "All three of them did their job in the sixth inning."

Black said he had tried the squeeze with Masters multiple times before Wednesday and that every time the bunt had rolled foul.

"She can handle the bat well," Black said. "And we had the right person (Kaila Hunt) at third base."

The game had different meaning than in years past, when the teams were region rivals. Greenbrier earned the No. 1 seed during its first season in Region 2-AAAAA. Evans finished as the top seed in Region 3-AAAA.

Both teams looked like state title contenders Wednesday.

"It was going to be a game of whoever got the breaks," Evans coach Colette Cassedy said. "It was pretty much a one-inning game. Every time we play it's that way."

The Knights started region playoffs on Saturday. Greenbrier plays on Tuesday.

Each team's coach thought Wednesday's rivalry game was a good tuneup.

"We want to play good teams to help prepare us," Cassedy said.

Evans pitcher Jenny Shepherd struck out nine and did not allow a hit until the decisive sixth inning.

Tracy struck out 13.

The junior allowed an RBI double to Knights first baseman Brittinie Harrison in the top of the sixth and thought she might have cost her team the game.

"I was really, really scared," Tracy said. "I thought we were going to lose. Everyone calmed down. After we scored those three runs, we knew it was over."

Tracy took the circle in the sixth and had Knights runners on first and second. Masters came out for an encouraging high-five when Tracy had two strikes on the final Knights batter and the two hugged after the ensuing strikeout ended the game.