Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Nothing average about Demons
Christiansburg uses a perceived slight as motivation to vanquish the unbeaten Vikings.
varsity.roanoke.com
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Northside's coach said she never spoke those words. In the end, it doesn't really matter.
All that matters is what the Christiansburg softball team believed - and the Christiansburg softball team believed it had been slighted.
So after Monday's 3-1 Region III victory over the previously undefeated Vikings, Christiansburg pitcher Hope Creasy took off her blue jersey, revealing a T-shirt with one word written in magic marker: "Average."
It was a shirt she made Monday morning and wore to a team lunch in the afternoon, and it was a message she thought about as she shut down one of the most potent teams in GroupAA.
"We'd gotten word that we were an average team with average players," Creasy said minutes after tossing a six-hitter. "We didn't want to accept that."
Creasy and other Blue Demons said the "average" assessment came from Northside coach Lynn Richmond, but the players admitted that none of them heard it first-hand.
"She didn't tell us that," said Christiansburg first baseman Danielle Wallace, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. "But she told another coach, and that coach called us and told us about it. That gave us an extra little push to get it done."
Richmond, whose team had to rally late to beat Christiansburg in both regular-season meetings, said she had the utmost respect for the Blue Demons (17-6) and wouldn't have insulted them.
"Certainly not," Richmond said. "We've had great games with them. Somebody else asked me about that and said that it was [said] at the regional meeting, and I never heard that or said that. My coaching staff certainly hasn't.
"You use whatever motivates you, but it wasn't from us."
Contrived or not, the perceived slight was enough to help the Blue Demons win their first regional game in school history. They'll face either Jefferson Forest or Prince Edward County in the RegionIII semifinals on Wednesday.
Christiansburg took the lead for good in the third inning. With two outs, Wallace doubled home leadoff hitter Andrea McIntyre to tie the score at 1. Creasy followed with a sharp ground ball to third that Kaylah Price couldn't handle, and Rachel Garvey scored the go-ahead run.
Creasy added an RBI single in the top of the fifth.
Kaylin Thornburg had two hits for Northside (22-1). Senior Corrie Fertitta reached base three times and scored the Vikings' lone run.
Christiansburg002 010 0 - 3 7 2
Northside010 000 0 - 1 6 1
Creasy and Bradley; Jarrett and Thornburg. HR - None.
