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Chelsea came back to take down Brookwood on March 9 thanks to five runs in the sixth inning. (For the Reporter/Cari Dean)

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor 

CHELSEA – After falling behind 4-0 in the top of the first to Brookwood on their home field on Tuesday, March 9, the Chelsea softball team was forced to battle back the entire game, but the Hornets didn’t waver.

They scored two in the bottom half of the first to answer and one in the third to make it a 4-3 game, but they still went into the bottom of the sixth trailing 4-3.

That’s when the game took a turn.

Running out of chances with two innings left, the Hornets needed a strong start to the inning and they got it from Landry Holt and Kathryn Bryars. Holt walked on four straight pitches to lead off the inning before Bryars singled to put two aboard with no outs.

Madelyn Clines the laid down the perfect sac bunt to move both into scoring position but Brookwood made a strong play at the plate on a grounder from Hannah Marler one at bat later to put two down in the inning and stay in front.

The Hornets, however, needed just one run to tie the game and swing momentum in their favor, and they got exactly what they needed when Tyler Erwin started a two-out rally.

Erwin singled up the middle to bring home Bryars and even the score at 4-4. And the momentum completely shifted at that point. Brookwood looked shook after that as a passed ball allowed two runners to advance into scoring position before Marler scored thanks to an error on a ground ball from Madeline Epperson.

That was then followed by an error in right field on a fly ball from Olivia Bergert that allowed two more runs to cross the plate.

Chelsea was done either as Carly Taylor gave the Hornets an even more padded lead on an RBI single to center field one batter later to make it 8-4.

Entering the inning down by one with chances running out, Chelsea took a four-run lead into the final inning with a chance to close the game in the top of the seventh.

The Hornets did just that when Erwin put Brookwood down in order to finish off a strong night and preserve the comeback victory.

Erwin finished the final six innings of the game to pick up the win, allowing four hits and no runs while striking out nine batters.

At the plate, eight different Chelsea players picked up a hit to total 11 for the game. The Hornets were led by Erwin, Marler and Taylor with two hits each. Taylor and Erwin each had one RBI. Bryars, Clines, Epperson, Bergert and Natalie Romager each had one hit. Katie Goss, Bergert and Romager each had one RBI.

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