Rock Bridge Outlasts Sullivan

Maddie Snider’s two-run fifth inning double snapped a scoreless game and Jillian Larkin’s squeeze play in the seventh provided insurance in Rock Bridge’s 3-1 win over Sullivan Monday at Bank of Sullivan Ballpark.

The game was Sullivan’s second attempt at knocking off a Class 4 school and became a pitcher’s duel between Addison Purvis and Rock Bridge’s Ella Schouten. 

Purvis had one of her most dominant starts of the season, striking out 14 against just one walk. She surrendered three hits and one was an infield single that Larkin barely beat out.

That would lead to Snider’s two-run double.

Sullivan outhit Rock Bridge and drew four walks, all four by Purvis and Kamryn Lohden, who was intentionally passed in the sixth inning.

Lohden owned the first hit of the game when she doubled to lead off the second. 

Purvis carved up the Bruins through the first four innings. She struck out eight of the first 12 batters until Chloe Simon’s bloop single that fell in shallow left with two outs in the fourth.

Purvis struck out Margo Frossard and Madison White to start the fifth. Ellie Kaufmann drew a walk on a pitch that barely missed the zone. Larkin chopped a slow roller to third. Kloey Blanton fielded it and Larkin reached safely by a half step. Snider drilled a double to center to put Rock Bridge up 2-0.

In the sixth, Purvis led off with a single and was replaced on the bases by Reagan Thomure. Madyson Stahl dropped down a bunt to move Thomure up. Hanna Johanning hit a single past first that saw the ball take an odd hop to the first base fence. Thomure went to third and Johanning to second. 

Hannah Cox singled to shallow right to score Thomure. Rock Bridge threw home, allowing Cox and Johanning to get into scoring position.

Schouten walked Lohden to load the bases for Abbey Daniel. Daniel flied out to first, but the inning ended when Rock Bridge doubled off Johanning.

The Bruins got the run back in the seventh on Larkin’s squeeze play.