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Pitcher perfect: Stevenson's masterpiece sparks Bulls' shutout win
Marty Price/Special to the Independent Tribune
Hickory Ridge's pitcher Emma Stevenson (#4) winds up before throwing a pitch. Stevenson pitched a perfect game for the Ragin' Bulls
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Published: May 19, 2009
HARRISBURG — Not only did Emma Stevenson pitch a perfect game Tuesday, she nearly struck out every batter she faced.
In the end, Stevenson fanned 17 of 21 Trinity batters and Hickory Ridge won 3-0 in the first round of the NCHSAA 3A softball playoffs.
"We had a good practice yesterday," Stevenson said. "I came out, I had a good feeling. My team was behind me."
The Ragin' Bulls (16-6) scored the only run they would need in the second inning.
Megan Badame reached on an error to lead off, then following a force out, Hannah Bright sacrificed the runner to second.
After Lia Vaszily walked, Ally Yeager hit an RBI single to right.
Hickory Ridge, the top seed from the South Piedmont Conference, scored again in the fifth inning.
Vaszily led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball and scored on Stevenson's drag bunt.
For the Bulls' final run, Jessica Pressley led off the sixth inning with a home run to right.
"She has both the first and second home runs ever hit on this field," said Hickory Ridge head coach Kelly Allen, with the second one being Tuesday's homer.
Eight of the 17 Bulldogs who whiffed went down swinging against Stevenson, a senior.
"We won conference for the first time," she said. "I'd like to go to states, make history at the school."
Making her performance more impressive is that she's not 100 percent healthy.
"She's still dealing with an ankle injury," Allen said. "She's been pitching through it all season.
"Emma is very mentally tough. She works very hard. She's smart. She knows batters; she knows where to pitch them.
"She knows the game and she's one of the smartest ballplayers I've ever coached and the toughest both mentally and physically.
"And she has a lot of movement that keeps batters off-balance. She knows looking at the hitter's stance where to throw them. She and the catcher (Kimberly Newton) work really well together. They call the game."
Put an excellent pitcher together with a strong supporting cast and a softball team can make a deep run in the playoffs.
"I think we can go all the way to states," Allen said. "As long as we keep hitting the ball and our defense stays tight.
"We've been playing a lot stronger defensively and been hitting the ball a lot better lately."
In the most important part of the season, preparation is paying off for the Bulls.
"We work really hard at practice," Allen said. "Our defense works really hard. They take the extra time to hit, even outside of practice, on the weekends.
"They get out here early. Today we were out here at 3:30 hitting."
Hickory Ridge hosts either Southwest Guilford or Lake Norman in the next round.
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