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BEDFORD – Ava Ratliff, who came to the program with a reputation that preceded her arrival, started her Bedford North Lawrence career with a big bang. Pressure? Not after a spectacular debut.
Ratliff, a freshman with limitless potential, crushed two home runs, including the game winner in the bottom of the fifth inning, while powering the Stars to a thrilling 5-4 triumph over Castle in the season opener on Thursday afternoon. Ratliff, stepping into the void left by the graduation of star slugger Sarah Stone, went 3 for 3 and drove in three runs, quite the explosive and auspicious debut.
If Ratliff was battling nerves, she didn’t show it. Three swings, three hits, two left the yard.
“I had been nervous for weeks, and I was nervous all day about this game,” Ratliff said. “Just how it would go down. But once the game started, my nerves calmed down and I just went out to play. If I play nervous, it‘s going to go downhill. I just went out to do my thing.”
“She had a pretty nice opening day, for sure,” BNL coach Brad Gilbert said. “There were a lot of expectations. Everybody said she would be the next Sarah Stone and things like that. I told her she would not be the next Sarah, she would be Ava Ratliff, and whatever that is, that’s what it’s going to be. Just relax. She’s been waiting for her turn.”
Castle scored four runs in the third to erase BNL’s early advantage and create a 4-2 lead, but Ratliff’s first blast in the bottom of the third started the Stars’ comeback. Braxton McCauley forced a 4-4 deadlock with a triple and steal of home following the Ratliff bomb.
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In the fifth, Ratliff connected for the second time off Castle starter Brooklyn Ballis, putting BNL in front, and Annie Waggoner slammed the door the rest of the way.
BNL took a quick lead on Waggoner’s one-out double in the first and Ratliff’s RBI double to right. In the second, the Stars struck again as Aliza Jewell singled, stole second and scored on an error.
The Knights exploded for all their offense in the fourth. Molly Bartz doubled, Maddie Thomas walked, Emma Boyer doubled, and Ballis launched a two-run home run to cap the eruption.
Waggoner was solid the rest of the way, stranding the potential tying run in the seventh with the last of her seven strikeouts. She allowed only five hits, four in the one scoring frame. BNL collected nine hits.
“That’s what we wanted in an opener,” Gilbert said. “We wanted competition. We could see them again in a regional. We didn’t hang our head when they went ahead, we kept battling back and fighting. We hit the ball hard. A lot of times pitchers will dominate early in the season. But we hit the ball on the nose a lot.”
McCauley added two hits, and Ratliff scored twice. Her first hit set the tone for a big day.
“I just go up and look for anything in the strike zone,” Ratliff said. “It felt really good. I just went out to do my job and do what I could do.
”I felt pressure, but I talked to Sarah and she kept me calm and hyped me up. I can’t be nervous because that won’t help my game.”
BNL will return to action on Saturday, hosting Loogootee at 11 a.m. and Jasper at 3 p.m.
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