File:Softball 2019 Abigayle Perry from The Frederick News-Post, March 30, 2019.jpg

Summary

Roaders' Perry seizes moment

Junior shortstop brushes off slump to drive in winning runs against Boonsboro

By Greg Swatek for The Frederick News-Post, March 30, 2019 Photo by Duncan Slade for the News-Post

BRUNSWICK — Mired in a little slump to start the season, Abigayle Perry, the leadoff batter for Brunswick’s softball team, certainly wasn’t thinking that way.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning Friday evening, the Railroaders trailed Boonsboro by two runs. There was a runner on first, and Perry, already 1-for-3 with a single off an infielder’s glove, was on deck.

“I am like, ‘Come on, Lex [Stone]. Get on. You are the tying run,’” Perry said. “’I am going to get up and hit the ball hard. That’s all I am trying to do.’”

Perry had admittedly spent the first two games of the season inside of her own head.

“I was putting too much pressure on myself,” the junior shortstop said.

But, after Stone walked to keep the inning alive for Brunswick, Perry had no intention of letting another opportunity slip away.

“I have just been focusing more on seeing the ball and hitting the ball,” she said.

Perry ripped a ball into left field that sailed between the gloves of two Boonsboro outfielders and bounced into the outfield wall. The hit scored Zaidee Byrd, who had earlier walked, and Stone.

As Perry headed for third base, an overthrow allowed her to score as well, and that was the deciding run in Brunswick’s 7-6 victory over the Warriors.

“She is one of the hardest working girls on this team, and it’s really important for her to do well,” Railroaders coach Kevan Rabat said of Perry. “She was able to do that today.”

With little to no margin for error, Brunswick is 3-0 this season.

The Railroaders have 10 players on their varsity team and nine on the junior varsity. Any injury or illness has the potential to deliver a devastating blow.

Already, senior Daisy Gardner is hobbled by an ankle injury that she suffered during basketball season. When she reaches base, like she did Friday with a one-out, RBI single in the third, she has to come out for a pinch runner.

Rabat has members of the JV team on standby, just in case one needs to be pressed into service. He had called one up for Friday’s game just in case.

“It goes to show how special we really are,” Perry said. “Everyone sees a small team, and they don’t think much of it. But our bats are pretty big, and they show up.”

Brunswick surged in front of Boonsboro 4-1 with a three-run third inning. Aside from Gardner, Ally Albright and Kelsey Laing drove in runs for the Railroaders.

Boonsboro (2-1) erased the deficit and surged in front by two runs with a five-run fourth inning. The Warriors held the advantage until Perry came up with two outs in the sixth.

With one last chance in the seventh, Boonsboro put two runners on, representing the tying and go-ahead runs, before Brunswick reliever Katie Laing slammed the door to preserve the victory.

“We are pretty special,” Perry said. “We have all-around talent. We can hit. We can field. We are going to be pretty scary.”