Hollis Brookline's Katrina Lee arrives safely into second ahead of the throw to Campbell infielder Jackie Gamache during Monday;s Division II game in LItchfield. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

LITCHFIELD – The question was put to Hollis Brookline standout pitcher Austyn Kump by her coach, Ashley Skey.

With a runner on first and one out in the bottom of the eighth of a 6-5 game at Campbell High School, did she want to issue a second straight free pass to Cougars slugger Madison Lane, putting the tying run on second and winning, potential walk-off run at first?

Before you think that’s a crazy idea, consider that Lane had hit a two-run homer off Kump and doubled before getting her first free pass in the sixth.

“She had seen almost all my pitches, so I figured I’d attack the other two (hitters),” Kump said. “With my spins, I did it.”

Yes, Kump certainly did, recording her 11th and 12th strikeouts to preserve the 6-5 win, the 10-3 Cavs’ fifth straight.

“That was all Austyn’s decision, I left it up to her,” Skey, her team down 5-1 at one point, said. “I have all the confidence in the world to pitch to those other batters.”

It capped a comeback that dropped the Cougars to 9-4 in their first Division II season, certainly still very good considering they started out 1-3.

“We made a couple of defensive (mistakes) and that cost us the game,” said Cougars coach Rick Gamache, his team one strike away from the win in the top of the seventh. “That’s a gamble, putting the tying run on second and winning run on first.”

Lane had given the hosts a 2-0 lead with her two-run bomb in the second. Campbell got two more in the third on RBI hits by Sophia Romano and Juliana Pinciaro (infield) and then Alyvia Ashe singled in Lane after she doubled in the fourth, making it a 5-1 game.

But with the score 5-3 (RBI hits by Kump and Kailey Disco) heading into the top of the seventh vs. Campbell ace pitcher Theresa Ivas, HB evened the score when, with one on and two out, Disco tripled in a run and came around to score on an errant throw on the play, and things were tied.

After Kump escaped a two-on, one out jam in the bottom of the seventh to send things to extra innings,the Cavs’ Katrina Lee singled to lead off the eighth, stole second, and scored what proved to be the game-winner on Savannah Duquette’s RBI double to left center off Ivas.

“Piece by piece, can’t score them all at once,” Skey said the mindset was in the Cavs dugout. “It took us three innings, and we got them all back.”

With Disco’s big hit rounding the bases, Skey said “Two outs, you don’t stop until I tell you too. Make them make the play. It’s harder for them to make the throw, get the tag.

“It was a huge win for us getting that win and holding third place in the standings.”

“We’ll be in the postseason, I’m not worried about that,” Gamache said. “We’ve just got to be ready for it.”

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