On the first day of Towson softball practice, senior Delaney Cole wondered how strong this year's Generals would be. The team lost most of its coach and pitching staff from the previous year. Then she saw pitcher Jelena Gardner come onto the field.
“That's when I knew we were going to be OK,” Cole said.
The 10th-ranked Generals followed where Gardner's pitching led them this year. In Friday's game at Eastern Tech, Eastern's No. 11 held no hits until six innings as Towson defeated the Mavericks 6-1.
“She really stepped up for us this season,” Towson first-year coach Dan Sexton said of Gardner, who transferred to Towson from Sparrows Point this season. She said, “There have been several times this year where she has carried us. She always gives us 100%.”
Gardner's performance Friday will likely advance the Generals (11-2, 10-2) to the Baltimore County Championship Game, which is scheduled to be played Tuesday at CCBC-Catonsville starting at 4 p.m. . Who is the expected opponent for that match? None other than Eastern Tech (8-3, 8-3).
The generals certainly did their best to make Gardner comfortable. He scored four runs in the top of the first inning and took the lead before even taking the mound.
“I felt like I pitched well today, but the most important thing is that we played as a team and won the game,” Gardner said. “We knew we had to win to have a chance to play in the championship. I'm happy to be able to do that for the Towson softball family.”
Gardner wasn't spectacular with five strikeouts, but he kept Mavericks batters off balance all day with a mix of pitches like screwballs, rise balls, and changeups.
In the batter's box, the Generals quickly got going. Towson started the inning with singles by Aviva McElhenney and Molly Mohr. A stolen base put runners on second and third base, and Grace Hoey grounded out to score McElhenny. In his next at-bat, Moll scored on Olivia Felton's bunt single. Two batters later, Samara Murchison singled, scoring Felton and Grace Cheevers, who had walked.
Gardner headed to the mound with a 4-0 lead and she immediately took advantage. Through the first five innings, she faced only at least six batters, three of which came on fielding or throwing errors.
Towson extended its lead in the fifth inning, but Eastern made two defensive errors on the same play, and Murchison and Laila Eastham scored Towson's final two runs.
Eastern finally reached Gardner on singles by Audrey Cocker and Leila Bugalini, putting runners on first and second base with two outs. However, Gardner was able to induce an infield grounder and put his team out. The Mavericks avoided a shutout in the seventh inning when Grace Himmelman hit a double and later scored.
Eastern Tech coach Gisele Alvarez praised Towson's great day.
“She's a great pitcher and they're basically a very healthy team,” Alvarez said of Towson. “Our girls played hard. We just have to work hard, get more reps in the batting cage and continue to improve.”
Towson — 400 020 0 – 6 10 3
Eastern Tech — 000 000 1—1 3 4
WP: Gardner. LP: Bugalini
2B: ET – Himmelman, T – Cole.
