Stafford, Bloomfield Deliver Walk-off Rally as Blue Devils Edge Clarke, 6-5
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| LAW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
VIERA WEST, Fla. — Ashley Stafford’s run-scoring triple and Alyssa Bloomfield’s walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh lifted Lawrence Tech to a 6-5 comeback win over Clarke (Iowa) on Tuesday afternoon in game two of the Blue Devils’ spring break slate at the Space Coast Complex.
Trailing 5-4 and down to their final three outs, the Blue Devils started the decisive inning with a single from Delaney Monroe. Stafford followed by driving a ball into the gap for an RBI triple to bring Monroe home and tie the game. Bloomfield then lined a single to score Stafford, completing a two-run rally that erased Clarke’s late lead and secured the one-run victory.
The seventh-inning dramatics capped a back-and-forth contest that saw the lead change hands five times. Clarke opened the scoring in the top of the first when Harlee Makue-Vasconcellos tripled and came home on a single from Teal Transburg. Lawrence Tech answered immediately in the bottom half: Bloomfield singled, Natilee Pridemore reached on an error that allowed a run to score, and Sophia Propps followed with an RBI double as the Blue Devils moved in front, 2-1.
Clarke pulled even in the second on a manufactured run as Oakleigh Harman singled, stole second and later scored on Kendall Kasput’s sacrifice. The Pride regained the lead in the fourth when Kynadee Harris doubled and scored on an RBI single from Mya Durr. Lawrence Tech responded again in the fifth, capitalizing on a hit-by-pitch to Sarah Basket and a single from Sara Essenmacher that turned into extra bases on a catcher’s error. Stafford grounded out to drive in one run and Alexis Lana added another RBI groundout, with one of the runs unearned, to push the Blue Devils ahead, 4-3.
Clarke refused to go away, tying the game at 4-4 in the sixth on a pinch-hit RBI double by Hannah Palzkill after Harman opened the frame with a double. In the seventh, Clarke briefly reclaimed the lead when pinch-runner Olivia Sikora scored on a sacrifice fly from Lauren Hefel, setting the stage for Lawrence Tech’s final comeback in the bottom half.
Basket went the distance in the circle for the Blue Devils, working all seven innings. She allowed 11 hits and five earned runs while striking out five and did not issue a walk, throwing 87 pitches in the complete-game effort. Defensively, Lawrence Tech played clean behind her, finishing without an error, while Clarke was charged with two miscues that contributed to a pair of unearned runs.
Offensively, the Blue Devils collected eight hits and did not strike out. Stafford finished with two RBIs, including the game-tying groundout in the fifth and the pivotal triple in the seventh. Bloomfield reached twice and delivered the game-winning RBI, while Propps added an RBI double in the opening frame. Harman led Clarke with two hits, a double, two runs scored and a stolen base, and Makue-Vasconcellos added two hits, including a triple, in the losing effort.
The victory marked a resilient finish to game two of Lawrence Tech’s spring break trip, showcasing timely hitting in the late innings and a steady complete-game performance from Basket as the Blue Devils continued to build momentum in Florida.
