Makenna Hughes’ 11th-inning homer wins it for Williamsburg against Clear Creek Amana

WILLIAMSBURG — Makenna Hughes wasn’t sure when it would end, and probably wouldn’t have guessed the way it did.

“It was getting pretty long. Everybody was getting pretty tired,” said Hughes, a freshman at Williamsburg High School.

“I was just trying to hit the ball. I struck out twice earlier in the game. I’d had a rough night so far.”

Hughes led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a home run to right field, giving the Class 3A third-ranked Raiders a 2-1 victory over 4A No. 3 Clear Creek Amana in the first game of a Wamac Conference softball doubleheader Wednesday night at Jim Turner Field.

The Clippers stormed back to win the nightcap, 14-1, in five innings.

Hughes’ home run was her first of the season, the second of her career.

“If you saw my reaction, I was pretty excited,” said Williamsburg pitcher Peyton Driscoll. “I was jumping pretty high. That was an awesome game.”

Both starting pitchers were fantastic.

Driscoll (6-1) retired the final 18 batters she faced, and surrendered just two hits, none in her final 7 1/3 innings of work.

“I was trying to find ways to keep them guessing,” said Driscoll, who struck out nine, walked one and hit a batter. “I was trying to get ahead as much as possible.

“That four-pitch inning (in the top of the 11th) helped a lot. It saved my arm a little.”

Driscoll also threw just six pitches in the fifth inning, and seven in the eighth.

CCA’s Ashley Webb worked nine innings and took a no-decision despite fanning 15. She scattered seven hits and walked three (one intentionally).

The Clippers (13-1 overall, 11-1 Wamac) struck first, getting a two-out tally in the fourth inning. Reese Stockman reached on an error, then scored three batters later on Brenna Williams’ single.

But Driscoll allowed no more, and Williamsburg (11-5, 8-4) got even in the sixth.

Rylee Vercande walked on four pitches to lead off, then a single by Shannon Finn and a wild pitch got Vercande to third. She scored on Elle Ridgeway’s groundout.

Bliss Beck gave up Hughes’ game-winning homer, but she bounced back (with a five-inning no-hitter in Game 2), and so did the Clippers.

Leading 2-1 after three innings, CCA busted it open with nine runs in the top of the fourth and added three in the fifth.

“The first game, we didn’t have quality at-bats,” CCA Coach Jodie Scheetz said. “We kept making the same mistakes, the same mistakes, the same mistakes.

“The second game, we adjusted, tried some different things and we hit the ball really well.”

Leadoff hitter Bailey Olerich was 4-for-4 in Game 2 with two doubles. She scored four times.

Emma Mathis drove in three runs.

Williamsburg 2-1, Clear Creek Amana 1-14 (1st, 11)

AT WILLIAMSBURG

Game 1

Clear Creek Amana 000 100 000 00 — 1 2 0

Williamsburg 000 001 000 01 — 2 8 1

No outs when winning run scored.

Ashley Webb, Bliss Beck (10) and Aeslyn Massey. Peyton Driscoll and Jenna Thurm. W — Driscoll (6-1). L — Beck (7-1). HR — WILL: Makenna Hughes (1).

Game 2

Clear Creek Amana 101 93 — 14 12 1

Williamsburg 100 00 — 1 0 3

Bliss Beck and Aeslyn Massey. Carly Rich, Jersey Metz (4), Rich (4), Kalon Spratt (5) and Jenna Thurm. W — Beck (8-1). L — Rich (1-1).

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com