It’s not common in softball for a player to rotate pitchers, but Orange County’s John Henry Ryder has a history of doing just that. Just a few short years ago when his current senior ace Michalah Sacre was a hard-throwing underclassman, she would rotate in the circle with another big-time hurler, Heather Jenkins.
But switching arms every inning? That’s even extreme for Ryder.
“I kind of just pick the starter and they go from there,” Ryder said. “I’ve done it 4-3, 3-4, 2-2-2-1. Anything to throw them off.”
Against rival Louisa County — the Jefferson District’s second place squad — Orange County rotated Sacre and freshman Aysha Richardson each inning, with the player not in the circle lined up at shortstop. The ploy worked as the tandem combined for 10 strikeouts in a two-hit shutout against the Lions en route to a 2-0 victory. Ryder is giving his two pitchers a little bit of freedom when it comes to the rotation.
“It just gives us a break and we don’t have to pitch two innings in a row. ,” Sacre said. “.”
While the Orange pitchers’ success and curious rotation was the talk of the night — prompting several different people to ask if it was even legal or not, which it was because neither left the lineup at any point — Louisa pitcher Brittany Wratchford threw an incredible game against a potent Orange County lineup. Wratchford limited Orange to three total hits and a pair of sacrifice flies that plated the Hornets’ two runs.
Wratchford stepped in for Brianna Cox, Louisa’s usual starter who’s out with an injury, and that sets off a domino effect throughout the Louisa lineup.
“We have great confidence in (Wratchford),” said Louisa assistant coach Canaan Perkins. “It makes it tough because we have to bring our left fielder in at third. Then we shuffler our right fielder to left field, and pull someone off the bench to fill her spot.”
Kristen Anderson had one of Orange’s two sacrafice fly RBIs, flying out to centerfield in the second inning to plate Mandy Murphy. Murphy brought in the next run, flying out to left field to bring Sacre home from third after the senior stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball.
Orange will try and stay unbeaten in Jefferson District play Tuesday at home against William Monroe while Louisa looks to get back on track the same day against Charlottesville.
