(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
BROOMFIELD — No. 4 Fossil Ridge weathered the storm from No. 5 Legacy in an 8-4 win on Saturday.
“It’s going to be seven innings,” Fossil Ridge coach Dave Philop said after the game. “If we get up early, it’s not over. If we get behind early, it’s not over. We’ve had comebacks over the years, and this group has been involved in those. We told them to stick with it and play seven innings, because this game is not going to be easy.
“They’re not going to give up, but neither are we.”
Mia Moddelmog and Jordan Ellis provided the offense as Fossil Ridge scored eight unanswered runs against the Lightning.
Moddelmog went four-for-four with three RBIs.
“That’s a kid that’s been in the program,” Philop said on Moddelmog, who has started since her freshman year. “She’s the one we count on in that four hole. She’s been there, and she’s been in those tough situations.”
After the Lightning loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning, Trisha Cook delivered a bases clearing double. Ciarra Nelson drove Cook in with a single to right the next at-bat, and Fossil Ridge trailed 4-0 before recording a single out.
“We were in big trouble,” Philop said. “The only thing we talked about before the game was that we’re at there place. Since I’ve been here, we’ve wanted to be like Legacy. They’re going to get after us right away on their field, so we have to weather the storm.”
Moddelmog doubled off the left field wall to get Fossil Ridge going in the second inning, but the Sabercats were only able to push one run across on an Ellis bloop single down the first base line.
Fossil Ridge kept pushing, and it paid off. The Sabercats loaded the bases with no outs in the third, and got five runs across in the inning.
“We feel like if we can be playing well at the end of the year, then who knows,” Philop said. “You just have to go in and hope. It’s a battle every time. It’s never a given.”
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Moddelmog’s single scored two, Ellis helped herself with a sac fly and Legacy walked in two runs.
“You have to pull through for your team,” Moddelmog said. “It’s a team game, and everybody plays together. You have to do your part. We all rallied the bats. We went out there, had fun and let loose, and did what we do.”
Moddelmog gave Fossil Ridge an insurance run in the fourth with a single down the first base line, then Kristen Reed tacked on another with a solo homerun in the sixth.
“I think we all came together and realized that we can go out and beat anybody in the state,” Moddelmog said. “Play the best game we can play. We knew we had to play clean defense and had to get it done at the plate.”
Ellis pitched a complete game in addition to her two runs-batted-in.
“It’s just huge,” Philop said. “At this time of the year, it’s even bigger because it gets you ready for regionals and state. This atmosphere was playoff atmosphere, and I felt like our kids responded really well.”