Pease performs well for Centreville softball
By Jason Devaney
Centreville senior Brianne Pease was a person of many talents on the softball field at Westfield High School Tuesday night.
She pitched four strong innings – as is customary in the Wildcats' system – by not allowing a hit or a run before relinquishing her duties to Jessica Ferrick. Pease also had her bat on display, as she ripped a two-run single in the top of the third inning.
And Pease flew out to center field in the seventh inning, plating Ferrick.
Behind Pease's effort, the Wildcats shut out Westfield, 5-0, to remain a perfect 10-0 in the Concorde District this season. Centreville's closest competitor in the district is Herndon, which stands at 5-3 in Concorde games. Centreville only has two district contests remaining on its schedule – Herndon next Monday and Fairfax the following Wednesday – meaning it has clinched the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the district tournament.
“I told them tonight, 'Monday's about pride. Monday's about going out, it's your home field, and getting it done,'” Centreville coach Rick Ferrick said of the Herndon matchup. “If we come out with the right attitude, if we come out battling, I think we'll be fine. [Herndon pitcher] Katie Briggs has been pitching very well and we've got to find a way to get after it and get going. I am expecting it to be a pretty tough game.”
Westfield starter Alex Tenney, a freshman right-hander, looked strong in the first two innings Tuesday night. She stranded one runner in the first and two in the second, but Pease, er, Centreville, figured her out in the next stanza.
Ferrick reached base on a fielder's choice, bringing Victoria Marvin to the batter's box with two outs. The junior proceeded to rip a double down the left field line, leaving two runners in scoring position for Pease. And boy, did she make the at-bat count. Pease turned on a high and outside pitch – Westfield coach Dean Ferington said he called for a pitch out – and muscled it to left field. Ferrick and Marvin both scored on the long single, providing Centreville with a sufficient amount of runs.
“I don't know if she was trying to throw junk or not, but I know it was more offspeed. I could see it and that's when I drove it,” Pease said of her clutch hit. “I was also hyped up from the first at-bat because I struck out, but I was anxious for that at-bat. We were pumped up before the game, we knew we had to come here and do what we had to do.”
Junior center fielder Shanna Tutt laid down a perfect bunt in the fourth inning, forcing Megan deLorimier home for the Wildcats' third run. In the seventh, Pease's sacrifice fly and a wild pitch plated two more Centreville base runners.
Ferrick, who started the game at first base, switched positions with Pease to start the fifth inning and finished the job on the mound. She allowed two bloop singles to shallow left field in her first inning of work, but got out of the jam by forcing a double play and recording a strikeout. She faced the minimum number of batters in the sixth and seventh frames to seal the win.
Centreville is off until Monday's date with Herndon, while Westfield travels to Herndon Friday evening.