[Baltimore Sun] Maddison Burris’ home run helps No. 3 Northeast softball pull away from Severna Park for 9-2 win
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Maddison Burris knows when its her time to hit. She also knows when its her time to run.
Burris’ fifth inning line drive up the middle led to an inside-the-park home run, breaking up a tight game and leading third-ranked Northeast to a 9-2 win over Severna Park. Burris’ homer was the only extra base hit on the night for either team.
Burris led the Eagles with three hits and two RBIs on the night. Andrea Rom had two hits and an RBI for the Falcons.
Although the game was played at Northeast, the Eagles (8-1, 6-1) were designated the visiting team because the game had been moved from Severna Park. Northeast pitcher Presley McGinty also recorded seven strikeouts in the win.
“Our bats came alive tonight,” Northeast coach Joe Hart said. “We knew we were going to face good pitching, but when I asked them to bunt, we got our bunts down. That’s been a challenge for us lately. We put the ball in play and made them make the plays.”
Both pitchers, Quinly Bary for Severna Park (5-5, 5-4) and McGinty for Northeast, were dominant early in the game, though Northeast was able to scratch out a run on a Carleigh Canada single in the second inning. That run stood up until the top of the fifth.
McGinty helped her cause, leading off the inning with a single. After stealing second, she scored on a single by Brynn James to boost the lead to 2-0.
After a ground out, Burris got the pitch she wanted and drove a hard, line drive past the shortstop into left-center field. After the ball got past the center fielder and rolled to the wall, Burris just kept running. Her line drive scored James and she avoided a play at the plate to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead.
“I saw that the ball got by her, and I just kept running,” Burris said. “I saw my coach telling me to go, so I just kept going. It was close [at the plate] but I knew we needed a big hit there and I was glad I could deliver.”
“M.B. is pretty fast, and I saw that they were throwing the relay to third, I just sent her,” Hart said. “I knew it would take a bang-bang play to get her, and I was just glad they didn’t make the play.”
The Eagles picked up another later in the inning when Jenna Burroughs scored on a Kayleigh Fyffe ground out for a 5-0 lead.
Severna Park took advantage of some wildness by McGinty in the bottom of the fifth to cut the margin. McGinty hit three batters in the inning, and RBI singles by Andrea Rom and Christina Ballagh cut the margin to 5-2.
Northeast put the game away in the top of the seventh. Burris, Taylor Castle Canada and McGinty all singled in the inning and the Eagles scored four runs to account for the final margin.
Severna Park coach Bailey Benedick was not pleased with her team’s play in the field. The Falcons committed five errors in the game.
“I told them that that’s not us. That’s not who we are,” Benedick said. “We’re capable of way more than that. We need to clean those errors up, and we need to hit more. That was in no way our best effort.”
Northeast — 010 040 4 – 9 12 3
Severna Park — 000 020 0 – 2 7 5
WP – McGinty. LP – Bary
HR: NE – Burris
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