GALLERY: Richfield Rallies For Dramatic Win Over Simley

For six and a half innings it looked like Richfield was going down. Ah, but that’s why they play seven innings.

Trailing 5-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, with the bottom third of the order due up, things didn’t look good for the Spartans. That was until the team pushed across five runs in the final half inning, including a controversial game-winning play, to edge Simley 6-5 in a Classic Suburban Conference (CSC) softball thriller Wednesday.

With the bases loaded and one out, Richfield’s Sophie Pulice hit one through the Simley defense, scoring Danielle Pues from third. Richfield’s Kalie Johnson followed from second and came home only to be tagged out at the plate in a close play. But the umpire ruled that Johnson had been interfered with while rounding third base and awarded Richfield the game-winning run.

“The (Simley) third baseman was standing on the base and when Kalie came running from second they kind of got tangled up, so they called an obstruction,” said Richfield coach Kim Niederluecke. “So they have to wait until the play is dead and then make a determination if she hadn’t been obstructed with ... and both umpires felt she could have scored if she hadn’t been slowed down.

“I think if she hadn’t been obstructed with, she’d have been in,” Niederluecke added. “Because it was pretty close.”

For six and a half innings, Simley pitcher Celina Nehmer held the Spartans mostly in check, allowing only a one run by Johnson.

Rachel Hilzinger got Richfield started in the seventh with a one-out single. Shayla Jeffers walked and Carly Klass singled to load the bases. Pues hit an infield single to make it a 5-2 game. Johnson then followed by a two-run scoring double to center and all of a sudden it was a 5-4 contest. Bry Guyton walked to load the bases and set the stage for the dramatic finish.

It was the . The Spartans beat South St. Paul 12-8 Monday, rallying from an early 6-1 deficit.

“I think we realized it was time to play,” said Pulice of Wednesday's last-inning rally. “We were kind of taking it for granted in the middle of the game ... Oh we still had time left, but when it got to the seventh it kind of hit that this is it.”

“Our hitting is pretty good,” added Johnson. “We’re mostly a comeback team, so I guess coming back in the seventh is what we really do.”

Richfield improved to 2-0 on the season and in the CSC, while Simley fell to 0-2.

Richfield next hosts Tartan at 4:15 p.m. Monday.