Give Anna Kelliher credit, she’s got great timing. The Madison County junior appears to have saved her best hitting for the most important time of year. Thanks to a 3-run double from Kelliher in the top of the ninth, the Mountaineers are headed to the Group A Division semifinals as they topped Northumberland on the road, 6-3.
“We did it again,” said Madison coach Jesse Yowell. “We didn’t give up and found a way to comeback. I don’t know how they keep doing it.”
Yowell’s team was down 3-0 going into the fifth inning. After Madison rallied for two runs in the fifth, Amanda Whitaker was responsible for bringing the Mountaineers back. Trailing by a run in the sixth, Whitaker’s ground out RBI put the score at 3-3 where it remained until the Bull Run District regular season and tournament champions loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth for Kelliher.
“She hit that ball hard,” Yowell said. “Put right down the third baseline and nobody could get to it. It was a nice piece of hitting.”
Kelliher provided Madison with its lone run in a 9-1 loss on Friday to William Campbell on a solo shot in the Region B finals. In the semifinals ealier in the same week with a Group A bid on the line, Kelliher drove in two runs for the Mountaineers to take their only lead of the game against Page County.
The Mountaineers will play in the state semifinals on Friday in Blacksburg at 10 a.m.
