Sussex Tech holds off Lake Forest in softball semi

Sussex Tech pitcher Taylor Wroten sends a fastball to the plate in the sixth inning of game with Lake Forest Thursday.

Sussex Tech’s Jakayla Sample slides into third with an RBI single that went all the way to the fence and give her team an insurance run in the bottom of the third inning. Spartans’ third baseman Brooke Glanden takes the late throw from the outfield.

Nicole Hovatter of Sussex Tech slides into 2nd with a double in DIAA playoff game Thursday. Kayla Thompson of the Spartans takes the throw from the outfield.

Madison Watson of Sussex Tech lines an RBI single up the middle to put the Ravens up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.

GEORGETOWN – Lake Forest got the tying run to the plate in the final inning, and Brooke Glanden did her best to knot it with one swing.

The sophomore third baseman sent a high fly ball into right-center, only to see Sussex Tech right fielder Jakayla Sample haul it in at the warning track as the Ravens held on for a 4-1 victory in the semifinals of the DIAA Softball Tournament on Thursday.

“It actually went up to a good part of the park, because the wind is kind of quartering across,” Sussex Tech coach John Marvel said. “So you know, hey, if she hit it out of there, then good for her. That’s a great job on her part. But I saw it hanging up and I saw our fielders looking at it, and I was feeling pretty good.”

He felt even better after Sample caught it, as the second-seeded Ravens (18-2) advanced to the championship game. Sussex Tech will shoot for its third state title against top-seeded Caravel at 11 a.m. Saturday at Milford High.

There was plenty of drama throughout, as 14th-seeded Lake Forest went for its third straight upset after knocking off No. 3 Sussex Central and No. 6 Concord in the first two rounds. The Spartans (14-7) started four juniors, three sophomores, two freshmen and just one senior.

“We’ve had a great season,” Lake Forest coach Ashlie Tatman said. “I’m proud of the way they came this far. I’m proud of the heart they’ve shown. We have an exciting season ahead of us next year. I’m really excited about our potential.”

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The Ravens jumped on top in the first when catcher Shannon Lord walked and courtesy runner Brooke Ward scooted to third on two wild pitches and scored on a single by Madison Watson.

Sussex Tech pitcher Taylor Wroten walked the bases loaded with no out in the top of the third. But with the Spartans’ 2-3-4 hitters coming up, the freshman got out of the jam with a foul pop and two strikeouts.

“I don’t know what happened,” Wroten said. “I guess I wanted to scare everybody a little bit. I scared myself. But we got out of it.”

Sussex Tech pitcher Taylor Wroton is congratulated by her teammates after she escaped a third inning scare unscathed when the Spartans had the bases loaded and no outs.

Marvel thought it was the turning point.

“She walked the bases loaded,” the Ravens’ coach said. “It wasn’t like they banged hits. She walked the bases loaded, gathered herself and pitched her way out of it. We had some good defense, but that was an incredible job.”

Sussex Tech turned that momentum into two more runs in the bottom of the third. Nicole Hovatter started it with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Taylor Collins, one of six Ravens seniors scheduled to graduate Friday night.

“I knew there was two outs, and I was just looking to put the ball in play,” Collins said. “Nothing huge, I just wanted a base hit.”

The speedy Sample followed with a shot to right that rolled to the fence for an RBI triple and a 3-0 lead.

“I just went with the pitch, hit it my way and just kept running,” said Sample, a freshman.

The Ravens added a run without a hit in the sixth, but had to hold on in the seventh. Lake Forest catcher Catera Kennedy singled with one out, and courtesy runner Shayla Wynder went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out double by Mya Maddox. Kaitlyn Stahre reached on an error to set the table for Glanden, but the Spartans’ final swing came up just short.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.