Lahners Homers In Come Back Win

By Athletic Communications on July 20, 2011 2:04 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Future Husky Kylee Lahners homered yesterday as her team came from behind to win the Under Armour All-American game. Former Husky Jenn Salling was one of the coaches.

Read the recap below.

Fans who spilled out of the stands at the ESPN Wide World of Sports were treated to some bonus softball at the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game on Tuesday. After all, what else would you expect from teams comprised of the nation's best?

Sara Driesenga was named MVP after lacing a bases-loaded, walk-off double off the left field fence to cap a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning in a 6-5 win for Team Swagger.

"[The MVP] could have gone to anybody because this was truly a team effort," said Driesenga, who also pitched the final two innings to earn the win. "It's just an honor to be here with the 30 best players in the nation."

Although cliche, there was some truth to the "total team effort" statement on this day. Down 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Team Swagger standouts Lauren Chamberlain and Kylee Lahners blasted back-to-back home runs that swung momentum.

"I came up to the plate thinking, 'Wow, the only way to follow [Chamberlain's home run] is to just hit another one,'" Lahners said. "So I went up there and waited for my pitch, got my pitch and put a good swing on it."

Ally Carda, the pitcher for Team Hype who surrendered the two home runs, swung it back to her team's favor by taking two bases after an attempted pick-off throw went awry. She scored from third on an RBI single by Delaney Guy.

Team Hype took its 3-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, when Kelsi Jones played the role of savior with a one-out single that scored Lahners to tie the game.

After Danielle Henderson was hit in the ankle by a pitch, Team Swagger suddenly had a golden opportunity to win the game in regulation with the bases loaded and only one out. But Corrin Genovese flashed some leather at second for Team Hype, snaring the potentially game-winning line drive and doubling off the runner at first base for an unassisted inning-ending double play.

Playing by international tie-breaking rules (each extra inning starts with a runner on second base), the game progressed to the ninth inning, where scoring suddenly became en vogue.

Team Hype opened the inning with two runs in the top half, highlighted by a two-out RBI single by Jessica Damico, who went 2-for-4 on the day. Damico and Swagger's Janie Takeda, who went 2-for-3, were the only players with multiple hits.

Facing a two-run deficit for the second time in the game, Team Swagger responded in the bottom of the ninth.

After a hit by Takeda and a walk by Jones, A.J. Andrews reached on an error to load the bases with only one out. Down 5-4, Driesenga ended the game with her drive to left. Jones, who hit the game-tying RBI single to force extra innings, scored the winning run.

"After we fell behind, you still saw smiles on the girls faces, and that's the key" said Leah O'Brien Amico, coach of Team Swagger. "A lot of times, if you're wearing that negative emotion it will pull you down. It's fun to be on the winning side. You play this game to have fun but obviously we're all competitors and it's always nice to get that W."

The game airs at 7 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPNU.