Heritage moved to 3-1 and held on to a chance to win the ACAC title with a convincing shutout win over the Bluffton Tigers thanks to another superb pitching performance by Danica Fuller, winning on the road 7-0.
Fuller allowed just four hits and walked none, striking out nine.Â
The game was played at Bluffton because the field was not playable at Heritage due to recent rains, but the Patriots still played as the home team, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning. Fuller doubled to lead off the inning and scored on Kendall Zelt’s ground ball out after she took third on a wild pitch.
Grace Guenthner followed the same pattern after drawing a walk. She took a few bases and then scored on Abriyah James’ productive out.
That combination worked well for Heritage and they replicated it again in the third, this time with Fuller making the out to drive in Raelyn Mullins.
The score remained 3-0 for 3.5 innings until Heritage put four runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth
Bluffton starting pitcher Averi Petty walked two batters and got two batters out at the bottom of the order, leaving Fuller up with two on and two out. Rightfully, the Tigers’ coaching staff elected to intentionally walk Fuller to load the bases and set up a force out at any base.
The strategy backfired, however, when Petty simply could not finish an at-bat with a strike. She walked the next four batters in one of the longer half innings in recent memory for the Patriots.
The lack of control clinched the game for Heritage as Fuller had no problem finishing the game with a seven-run lead and Lydia Schultz pulled off an unassisted double play at first base to finish the game in style.Â
The Patriots had just four hits themselves, but it was the ten walks that sank the Bluffton ship.