Carolina Blaze came into Sunday’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Spark on a nine-game losing streak. In this streak, the Blaze have mostly seen great pitching with little to no run production. Since returning home, they have seen some offense with the pitching banged around a little.
However, on Sunday the Blaze seemed to have the pitching situation in cruise mode. Just a day after the Spark scored 12 runs on 12 hits, with 8 runs coming in the eighth inning, with a team total of 4 home runs, Ruby Meylan handled the Spark lineup well. Meylan threw 4 innings of scoreless ball and allowed just 3 hits with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks.
With the Blaze clinging to a 1-0 lead heading into the fifth inning, Blaze head coach Kara Dill made the move to Emma Lemley, and the Spark doubled their hit total in the inning and scored 3 runs. It started with back-to-back hits from Sarah Gordon and Maya Brady. Then with one out, Sydney McKinney loaded the bases after reaching on a fielding error by Lemley.
Then, in a pressure moment, Lemley struck out Delanie Wisz and came within one out of getting out of the jam. That was when Amari Harper burst through with a 3 RBI double to give the Spark the lead.
The decision to lift Meylan drew questions from everyone that had eyes on the game, and Dill did not hesitate to explain the decision. With the top of the Spark order due for a third look, she wanted a fresh arm for the toughest stretch of the lineup.
“We ended up going to Lem because they were coming up on their third time through the order,” Dill said. “The top of their order is extremely difficult to get out. So in our mind, we’re playing to win, not playing not to lose. And we believe and have trust in our entire pitching staff.”
Lemley nearly delivered after getting into that jam. She came on against the No. 9 hitter, but things didn’t go as Dill initially hoped. One thing led to another and the damage was done.
After the 91-minute weather delay, Dill turned to Keilani Ricketts in the circle, with Meylan held as a possible late-game option had the Blaze forced extra innings.
“After the rain delay, we were set on Keilani coming out to throw,” Dill said. “But there was a chance that Ruby was going to come back in. And had we tied it up in the seventh there, she would have come back in the eighth.”
After Valerie Cagle tied the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth, Ricketts could not hold the tie in the top of the sixth. The Spark retook the lead on a Romero sacrifice fly, then added 2 more on a fielding error to open a three-run cushion. Carolina climbed back within one on Cagle’s second home run of the game in the seventh, but could not draw even. The eighth-inning scenario that would have brought Meylan back never arrived.
“I thought Ruby had a great game,” Dill said. “Every time that she has pitched, she’s gotten better each time. She’s just super competitive, so that was a huge bright spot.”
I asked whether Meylan, pulled up from the reserve pool this season, could stick on the roster into next year, Dill sounded hopeful for that.
“For Ruby, yes. She has had some great appearances in these last couple. She’s super competitive,” Dill said. “She just works hard and wants it so bad. So it’s good that we’ve been able to pull her out of the reserve and just see what she has in this league against this league. Obviously it’s different coming off college a little bit tired from playing since February. So we have a lot of belief in her. It’s definitely a possibility that you’ll see her on our roster next year.”
