Goochland’s softball team just needed to settle down.
“We really needed to calm our nerves down because we were really jittery and just excited about the game,”said Goochland sophomore Jackie Tremain. “We really had to calm down and get ourselves together.”
Tremain two-way effort made that process much easier as the Bulldogs’ pitcher sparked Goochland to a 3-1 victory over James River in the Group A, Division 2 softball semifinal Saturday night.
Tremain struck out five and induced groundouts and flyouts in a number of key situations. She gave herself a little run support too with an RBI in the fifth that scored Brandi Tester for an insurance run.
A two-run first inning helped the Bulldogs get into a groove. After all, it was the furthest any Goochland softball team had advanced this far since well before any member of the Bulldogs’ roster was born. In 1978, Goochland finished as the state runner-up in softball.
Carly Plummer posted an RBI single to score Jordan Fleming in the first inning shortly after Chakiryn Jackson scored on a James River error. While the Rapids countered with a run in the bottom to cut the lead to 2-1, that was as close as they got.
Goochland’s defense took over from there, with Jackson leading the way at shortstop. The steady senior made seemingly every routine play and a couple of tough ones.
“It’s really important to know that someone is behind me who has your back at all times,” Tremain said.
Despite never being on a stage as big as the state semifinals, Goochland managed the narrow lead well, never losing focus despite the fact that James River continually put baserunners on the paths early in the inning. Coach Amy Henneberger helped the Bulldogs accomplish that by keeping things simple.
“We just did what we’ve been doing all year long,” Henneberger said. “It’s worked for us before and it worked tonight.”
The Bulldogs get a chance at the school’s first ever state softball title Sunday at 10 a.m. at Radford where they’ll face Floyd County.
