“It definitely was a pitching duel,” commented varsity Culpeper softball coach Janice Gillespie. “It comes down to who’s going to get that one base hit.”

            Brittany Black smacked the first of the Bobcats’ two critical hits in the bottom of the fourth inning with a leadoff single. With Sutphin at the plate, the junior designated player then advanced to second base on a 2-2 wild pitch that sailed over the head of catcher Sam May.

            Sutphin walked on an ankle-level full-count pitch, putting runners on first and second for junior Shannon Cleary, who cranked a 2-1 delivery to right-centerfield for an RBI double.

            “I think the key there was we were originally trying to have Shannon Cleary bunt,” said Battlefield coach Joe Schelzo.

            Indeed, Cleary showed bunt on the second and third pitches of the at bat. That drew in Michelle Fox from the third base position as Culpeper was clearly ready for a small-ball style of offense from Battlefield.

            But Cleary was up in the count which meant Beall had to toss one over the plate in order to not load the bases on another walk. Schelzo recognized that and waved off the bunt sign.

            Culpeper never saw it coming.

            “It’s good paying attention, heads up by her and then taking advantage of the opportunity,” commented Schelzo about Cleary.

            Battlefield threatened once more that inning as freshman Bailey Liddle came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs.

            Liddle fell behind early in the count, allowing Nichole Beall to whiz in a letter-high called-third strike to end the inning.

            “We knew she was fast,” said Schelzo, referring to Beall. “The question was could she hit the outside corner too?”

            According to Sutphin, when her teammates face a hard-throwing pitcher like Beall, the key to winning is capitalizing on accidental opportunities.

            “You got to hit her mistakes,” said the Battlefield ace.

            Gillespie said she thought Beall’s mechanics and all-around pitching operated “really well” even though her rise ball was not consistently finding May’s target.

            “I think we’re two even teams,” opined Gillespie. “Like I say, they got that one extra hit.”

            Beall even produced at the plate, earning the Devilettes’ only hit of the game. She also crushed a ball to deep centerfield in the sixth inning, but an outstretched Kelsey Scott roped it in to help save Sutphin’s shutout.

            “I kind of rely on them to get my outs,” Sutphin said of her defense.

            Culpeper had only two real offensive opportunities all game. Sutphin and the Battlefield defense never allowed more than four batters to appear at the plate in a single inning.

            The first chance came in the fifth inning when Culpeper first baseman Sarah Campbell walked on a low, inside pitch with one out. Left-fielder Sam Robson brought her over to scoring position in second base on a fielder’s choice grounder to third base.

            But Sutphin hung in tough, wiffing right-fielder Brittney Owens in three pitches.

            “She knew what to pitch,” said Gillespie, who also gave kudos to Battlefield catcher Courtney Liddle for her pitch-calling selection.

            “It really wasn’t different for me,” Sutphin said of her first start since the injured Brittany Black re-entered Battlefield’s pitching rotation last week after several weeks away from the rubber.

            Culpeper seemed almost destined to tie up the game in the top of the seventh inning when Michelle Beall reached first base following an error on a routine grounder near second base. The Devillettes’ bench erupted, kicking the dugout gate and screamed for May as she stepped into the batter’s box.

            May lined a ground ball directly to Cleary at first base, who stepped on the bag for one out and tried to gun out Beall at second base.

            The shortstop slid under the tag, however, giving Culpeper another chance to bring home a runner in scoring position.

            Logan Stephens hit a fielder’s choice grounder to Brittany Clendenny at shortstop, which advanced Beall but forced the Culpeper center-fielder out at first base.

            With two down and a runner on third, Campbell smacked a shot back to Sutphin.

When the senior ace bobbled the ball and chased it toward first base, the Devilette faithful roared as Beall raced home.

            But that went all for nothing as Sutphin kept her composure, scooped up the loose ball and tossed it to Cleary at first base for the final out of the game.