Photo by Gary Coronado / The Palm Beach Post
Danielle Fernandez gets a hug from Alyssa Gordon (right) after scoring on a passed ball to help Dwyer pull out a 6-5 win over Seminole Ridge on Wednesday.
PALM BEACH GARDENS - A bases-loaded passed ball with two outs in the bottom of the eighth helped seventh-ranked Dwyer escape with a 6-5 win over Seminole Ridge on Wednesday.
Danielle Fernandez singled with one out to start the rally for the Panthers (10-5), then took third when Erika Peeples' grounder was misplayed into a two-base error.
After Ashton Akers was intentionally walked to load the bases, Seminole Ridge pitcher Alana Tabel struck out Sarah McKenna for the second out.
With Kelsey Huff batting, Tabel's pitch eluded the catcher, allowing Fernandez to score.
It was Huff's previous plate appearance, with Dwyer trailing 5-3 in the sixth inning, that was even more crucial for the Panthers.
Unintentionally batting out of order, Huff sharply grounded an 0-2 pitch into the hole between the third baseman and shortstop for a single that scored Jordan English and Fernandez with the tying runs that forced the extra inning.
Huff, a freshman, said she was unaware she was batting out of turn until the next inning. She said she was focusing on her at-bat against Tabel, who struck out 10 and walked none.
"You basically tell yourself that you can do it, and I did it," Huff said.
Dwyer coach Joe DellaRocca said he has no reservations about using Huff in a crucial situation.
"She's somebody that has contributed quite a bit for us already," DellaRocca said.
Once again employing a small-ball strategy of frequent bunts, the Panthers took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Alyssa Gordon scored the last run of the inning on a head's-up play, running to an uncovered plate.
"They put the ball on the floor and force the other team to make plays defensively," Hawks coach Patrick Moons said. "They made a few more than we did."
Seminole Ridge (11-6) responded in the top of the fourth with singles by Mackenzie Davis, Audrey Forbes, Sheilagh Stevens and Taylor Beckman that, combined with one of Dwyer's five errors, resulted in a 4-3 Seminole lead.
Seminole Ridge took a 5-3 lead in the fifth when Nikki Vasko led off with a double and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Davis.
In the sixth, Beckman doubled with one out and advanced to third when Heather Shapiro reached base on a throwing error, but the Hawks were unabale to score.
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