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FLINTON -- The bad news for Glendale star Maddie Peterson was Thursday's District 6 Class 1A playoff game against Bishop Carroll was the first playoff game in her three-year career that she wasn't the starting pitcher.
Peterson, a junior, has been dealing with a pinched nerve in her shoulder and a strained bicep in the second half of the season. While not starting in the circle is a bummer, it was all positive for Peterson on her own field.
She slammed a career-first two home runs deep into the trees beyond left field, had three hits, including the 100th of her career, and drove in six runs in only three at-bats in leading the fifth-seeded Lady Vikings to a 12-2, five-inning win over the 12th-seeded Lady Huskies.
"It was fun," Peterson said. "I just went out there wanting to hit the ball, but we were all really excited to be out here. We were all amped up. It definitely feels good. Credit to the team, though. It's not just my hits that won the game."
"She's a stud. That's what she is, a stud," Glendale coach Bruce Vereshack said. "Her play speaks for itself. She's one of those players. She's special."
"They're definitely a tough team," BC assistant coach Eric Sheesley said. "Number 22 (Peterson) put two over the fence. There was not much we could do with her. We tried, but she got the better of us. We tried to keep it low and away and then bring it inside -- just keep her guessing on pitches, but she's tough. I think a pop fly from her is going to go over that fence."
Sophomore Hannah Simmers has stepped in for Peterson in the pitching circle. Against BC, she tossed a two-hitter, struck out six and walked four.
"It sucks not being able to pitch after the seasons I've had," Peterson said, "but she's really stepped up and she's done an amazing job leading the team on the mound. Everybody's behind her making plays for her."
"I was worried about Hannah because she's young, and a playoff game is a different atmosphere," Vereshack said. "She was a trooper. She's been really solid for us for the last month."
Peterson gave Simmers a two-run cushion in the first inning when she followed Caitlyn Rydbom's one-out walk by crushing a Mary Golden offering well over the left field fence.
The Lady Huskies drew to within one in the second inning when Alicia Heinrich led off with a home run over the left fence.
"I don't know how that girl hit that (home run) to left field on that curve ball I called," Vereshack said. "But she did, and I told her after the game I tried everything to get you out."
The flood gates opened for the Lady Vikings in the bottom of the second as they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on three of their nine hits, three walks and three errors.
A single by Liz Kaufman and walks to senior Kaprice Cavalet and Jayden Fry loaded the bases. Peterson drove in Cavalet and Kaufman with a single to left field. Fry scored on a wild pitch, and Peterson followed on the same play on a throwing error.
Ava Weld, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, doubled to left field to score two runs. Weld later scored on a wild pitch. Weld finished off Glendale's scoring two innings later by hitting a home run to left field.
Rydbom tripled to right-center before Peterson's final at-bat in the third. With an open base, Sheesley had options to pitch around Peterson or intentionally walk her. He chose to pitch to her, and Peterson hit second homer in nearly the exact spot in the trees.
"We thought about (pitching around), and we also thought about just intentionally walking her," Sheesley said. "We didn't know if the first time was a fluke. But we like our opponents to also get their at-bats. It's no fun coming to the game and just walk the bases. We took a risk and it didn't pay off."
"I don't know why they pitched to Peterson," Vereshack said. "I wouldn't have. I wasn't going to pitch to (Heinrich) after the first home run.
BC scored its final run on a Lydia Myers base-loaded, one-out sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
Glendale will now get ready for its quarterfinal game at 4 p.m. Tuesday at fourth-seeded Juniata Valley. The teams have split this year, with Glendale winning the first game, 13-3, and JV winning the wild second game, 29-20.
"I like our chances," Vereshack said. "We beat them with Peterson and we played them down there, and I was just trying to find somebody who could throw the ball across the plate. I think we had 35 walks in that game, and they had 29 runs."
BISHOP CARROLL (2): L. Myers cf 200, A. Myers 3b 300, Golden p 200, Heinrich c 211, Sheesley ss 200, Landis 1b 301, Lessard lf 110, Strittmatter 2b 100, Smith rf 100. Totals--17-2-2.
GLENDALE (12): Fry ss 311, Rydbom c 321, Peterson 2b 333, McNitt lf 210, Beck 3b 210, Weld rf 322, Snyder dp 300, Cavalet 1b 211, Kaufman cf 311, Simmers p 000. Totals--24-12-9
SCORE BY INNINGS
Bishop Carroll 010 10x x -- 2 2 4
Glendale 272 1xx x -- 12 9 0
E--A. Myers 3, Heinrich. 2B--Weld. 3B-- Rydbom. HR--Heinrich; Peterson 2, Weld. RBI--L. Myers, Heinrich; Peterson 6, Weld 3, Snyder. SF--L. Myers. SB--Beck. LOB--Bishop Carroll 6, Glendale 5. HBP--Sheesley.
PITCHING
Bishop Carroll: Golden (L)--4 IP, 9 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO.
Glendale: Simmers (W)--5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO.
Records: Bishop Carroll (3-15); Glendale (10-10)