By Eric Lusk
Sports Editor
elusk@elkintribune.com

BOONVILLE — Starmount’s softball team wiped away four years of frustration against rival Forbush in one inning Thursday night.

The Rams exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fifth, then held on for a 7-3 Mountain Valley 2A triumph.

The win proved huge not only in the bragging rights department (Starmount had not won in the series since 2005). It also amped up the stakes for this week’s conference tournament.

Had Forbush prevailed, the Falcons would have sealed the MVAC regular season title and the No. 1 seed for the state playoffs that comes as a reward.

But instead, Starmount and Forbush will share the regular season crown, each finishing 11-1 in the league. Whoever advances the deepest in this week’s conference tourney will get the No. 1 seed for state.

The MVAC’s No. 1 team has a distinct advantage in the 2A state brackets, getting the chance to play up to four home games, whereas the No. 2 has to travel to face another No. 1 seed in round two.

In other words, two blockbuster games between the talented rivals has set the stage for a possible winner-take-all round three this week.

“I’ve been telling them all year that they could do it,” Starmount coach Heather Courts said of beating the Falcons. “They finally stepped up and did it. It wasn’t anything lucky either. We beat them. I am extremely proud of them.”

The first meeting between the Rams and Falcons back on April 17 — won by Forbush 3-2 in 10 innings — was a pitcher’s duel. Last week’s contest was more of a slugfest.

Forbush outhit Starmount 12-9. The Falcons struck out just four times. Everyone in the starting lineup got at least one hit, with the top four batters accounting for seven knocks (Ciera Cockerham was 3-for-4 from her No. 2 spot in the order).

When clean-up hitter Leslie Long smashed a long home run over the centerfield fence in the top of the fifth inning — giving the visitors a 3-1 lead — the Falcons seemed poised to take their 10th straight game against the Rams.

And more trouble was brewing for Starmount right after that. Jessica Dzeskewicz singled after Long’s homer, then Haley Pardue got aboard following a Rams’ error — two on with no outs.

But freshman pitcher Courtney Groce and fellow Ram defensive players buckled down to get out of the inning without further damage.

Then Starmount took charge at the plate, doing plenty of damage in the bottom of the fifth.

Former Forbush player Maygan Baldwin got things started by drawing a walk. Then Carla Cave bunted her way safely aboard.

Chelsea Varner’s sacrifice bunt moved both Baldwin and Cave into scoring position for senior Jana Matthews, who pounded a shot to centerfield to score both of her teammates. That tied the game 3-3.

Ashlee Handy drew a walk, then Nichole Hutchens hit a popper just over the infield for a single.

That loaded the bases for Jessica White, who until Thursday night had been mired in an offensive slump.

“Conference batting-average wise, it’s not been that good for Jess this year,” Courts said.

Throw the average out of the window because White laced a Dzeskewicz offering into the gap between center and right field. The shot cleared the bases, giving the Rams a 6-3 lead.

“I was so nervous — crazy nervous,” White said of the at-bat. “(The pitch) looked right down the middle to me. It was just perfect. That was the first hit I’ve had in a long time, so it was great.”

The Rams tacked on one more run after Brittany White walked and Rebecca Aplin laid down a perfect spinning bunt right in front of the plate, scoring Jessica White after Forbush tied to throw Aplin out at first base.

Forbush coach Burl Love said Cave getting aboard on her bunt proved a difference-maker in the inning. It was a bang-bang play, and Love disputed that Cave was safe.

“The hits they got afterward, they were just solid hits,” Love said. “But (had Cave been ruled out), that takes a person off the bases. Jana’s hit only scores one run. Then it’s a 3-2 game at that point and time, with one runner on. It kind of changes your mentality a little bit.

“But I’ve got to give them credit. They hit the ball well in that inning. They bunched their hits together, and we got a little rattled at that point.”

Forbush put pressure on in both the sixth and seventh innings, but Groce and company held the Falcons at bay.

Taylor Smith got aboard after an error to start the sixth, then Cockerham hit her third single of the night to put two runners aboard with no outs.

Groce struck out Jessica Hinkle, then both Long and Dzeskewicz hit long fly balls that were caught by Aplin in right.

That got the meat of Forbush’s order out of the way going into the seventh. Paige Hauser and Maggie Shore both got on base with hits in the final frame with one out. But Starmount retired the next two batters to end the game, giving their lone senior — Matthews — a Senior Night gift to savor.

Matthews had been a part of five one-run losses to the Falcons in her career, plus a three-run loss and a two-run loss last season.

“I’m just glad we could do it,” Matthews said afterward. “It was our last chance at home. We have been working for it all season. We couldn’t have done any better this game. Everybody worked together.”

Matthews said her team stayed composed even after falling behind 1-0 in the first inning and later 3-1.

“When things were going good we were up, and when things were going bad we were up,” she said. “And we came through in the end.”

Courts said the 10-inning loss to Forbush earlier in the season actually served as a confidence booster for her club. It showed them that they could play with the conference’s perennial power, which until Thursday hadn’t lost a conference game in many years.

“There for a little while when we got down 3-1 I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but then that one inning, my gosh, we just went crazy,” Courts said.

The coach praised her freshman pitcher for keeping her composure after walking in a run and giving up the home run to Long. At one point in the middle innings, Courts even had Aplin warming up her pitching arm just in case.

But once she had the lead, Groce was on form, improving her season record to 12-1. The one loss — to Forbush — was a nailbiter decided on a couple of errors in the 10th.

“Other than Forbush, a lot of the conference teams don’t hit off her,” Courts said of Groce. “She is not used to that. But to be in that part of the field tonight, that is a huge place to be. She said a lot about herself tonight. I am very excited to have her the next three years.”

Starmount 7, Forbush 3

Thursday • at Boonville

Forbush 101 010 0 — 3 12 0

Starmount 010 006 x — 7 9 2

WP: Courtney Groce; LP: Jessica Dzeskewicz

HR: Leslie Long (F). 3B: Jessica White (S). 2B: Carla Cave (S), Jana Matthews (S).