OAKLEY, CA - Freedom sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the second inning on Tuesday afternoon, as the Falcons exploded past Deer Valley, 13-3, to stay unbeaten this season.
After falling behind in a pair of league games last week, Freedom (14-0, 3-0 BVAL) made sure it would not happen this time. Five straight singles, including a ball that was absolutely crushed to the base of the fence by Falcons pitcher Vanessa Strong, made the score 3-0, and the rally only continued from there. Strong's second at-bat of the inning resulted in her second hit, and scored Allyson McBroom to cap the inning, which concluded with Freedom leading 7-0.
"After having those close games, it was important for us to be able to relax and play our game," Strong said. "Being able to get up early helps the confidence and keeps our energy up throughout the game."
Deer Valley (4-11, 0-3) got one run back in the third inning, but Freedom blew the game open even more in the bottom half. A run-scoring double by McKenna Marshall was followed two batters later by an RBI single from Ashlie Livermore, and Kalissa Heihn punctuated things with her two-run homer.
The loss was Deer Valley's fourth straight to a league opponent, having fallen twice to Antioch and to Liberty last week, but all three of those losses came by a single run, including the extra-inning loss to Liberty.
"This team has a lot of fight," said Deer Valley coach Amy Tillson. "They will fight until the end. Freedom is a good hitting team, but we will bounce back."
Deer Valley plays at Heritage this Thursday, while Freedom hosts Pittsburg.
