JEFFERSONVILLE – Ava Ratliff cemented her status as a legend, crushing two home runs to match the state’s career record. And she did it in storybook fashion, blasting a go-ahead bomb in the seventh while powering Bedford North Lawrence to a dramatic comeback victory.
Ratliff cracked two homers, including the 50th of her amazing career to match Bremen’s Erin Coffel for the most in Indiana history, as the Stars rallied from a 6-0 deficit to stun Jeffersonville 7-6 on Thursday night. Ratliff swatted her 49th in the sixth inning, a three-run bomb as BNL scrambled within 6-3, then connected for another three-run blast to give the Stars (6-7-1) their one-run advantage in the seventh.
“Coming through in the clutch,” BNL coach Brad Gilbert said. “There was no doubt.”
BNL (2-0 in the Hoosier Hills Conference) surrendered four quick runs in the bottom of the first, with Aubrey Cannon hitting a two-run homer. BNL starter Aliza Jewell, struggling with a physical issue in the heat, last only four batters and didn’t record an out, forcing Gilbert to summon freshman Macee Nicholson to the circle.
The Red Devils (6-5, 1-3 in the HHC) added single runs in the second and third innings to establish the 6-0 lead.
“We didn’t catch a break,” Gilbert said. “We hit balls right at them, little things didn’t go our way. But the kids never quit. They never got down. We got quiet, but we never got down. We challenged them to go get them, just fight. And we got back in it.”
BNL erupted in the sixth. Haleigh Canada dropped a bunt single, Tori Nikirk cracked a single to right, and Ratliff launched her first homer to left. In the seventh, Danielle Stegeman started the rally with a double and scored on an outfield error. Canada reached on an error, and Nikirk singled up the middle.
And on the first pitch from Jeff hurler Emma Borders, Ratliff smoked the record blast to center. Ratliff, a South Carolina recruit, finished with those two hits and 6 RBIs, while Nikirk and Kendall Graves also had two hits.
Nicholson went seven innings in relief in the circle and scatted eight hits.
“Macee, holy cow, I’m so proud of the effort,” Gilbert said. “She pitched her heart out. She just battled and battled. It was all the kids.”
The Stars will host Floyd Central in a key HHC showdown on Friday.
