Hammerin’ Henry delivers two-run, walk-off blast as Pittsfield rallies to beat Camp Point Central

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — As dire as the situation seemed, Grace Henry believed she’d get an at-bat.

The Pittsfield softball team trailed Camp Point Central 1-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning Friday when Panthers hurler Emma Stevens retired the first two batters, bringing Torie Stambaugh to the plate and Henry to the on-deck circle. 

“I had a lot of confidence in Torie,” Henry said. “I was pretty confident I was going to get to bat. So I was taking deep breaths and telling myself, ‘Base hit.’ Anything to produce and get on base. I was thinking a base hit scores a run and ties it up, which is what we needed.”

Stambaugh worked a six-pitch walk and took second base on a wild pitch, creating the scenario Henry envisioned.

However, the senior catcher did better than a single.

Four bases better in fact.

Henry belted a walk-off, two-run home run to left field on a 2-0 count, giving the Saukees a 2-1 victory for their fourth consecutive win.

“I knew having two balls gave me a little more freedom on what I wanted to swing at,” said Henry, who is 9 of 16 (.563) with four home runs, three doubles and 18 RBIs in the first five games. “She had been staying low in the zone, so I knew anything there I could put a bat on it. It came in just under the belt and I sent it.”

She knew immediately it was gone.

“It was a pretty deep ball,” Henry said.

The celebration began almost immediately as she rounded the bases

“I was all jacked up on energy,” Henry said. “I was pumping my fists and not much was running through my head.”

It’s the kind of boost a team that had outscored its previous three opponents 50-12 could use.

“It’s really going to put us high on energy going into next week,” Henry said. “It’s a huge confidence boost. It sets us up well to play well against really good competition.”

Central (2-1) had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Karly Peters hit a two-out home run to center field, but Pittsfield sophomore Emma Wombles limited the damage as Claire Huston’s leadoff single in the seventh inning was the only hit she allowed over the final four innings.

Wombles struck out nine, walked four and allowed just three hits.

Stevens was equally dominant, striking out 11 while walking six and allowing four hits. The Saukees had two runners on in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but Stevens worked out of it each time before being unable to escape the seventh-inning jam.