By David Willis
Staff writer
June 15, 2008 11:59 am CONCORD, N.H. — Before the season, Timberlane catcher Jess Barrett had a message for her older sister, Owls ace pitcher Stephanie Barrett. "I told her that we were going to do great things this year," said the sophomore. "I knew what she could do." Yesterday, the older Barrett delivered on that prediction with the game of her life, pitching Timberlane to victory in the Class L state championship over powerhouse Salem. "I've dreamed about this for so long," said the senior, clutching the state championship trophy. "I have put in all the hours of effort to prepare, and we all deserve this. This is the perfect ending to my high school career." Barrett pitched a complete-game two hitter, with only one hit leaving the infield and both were nearly outs. She struck out eight, walked only two and threw 67 of her 109 pitches for strikes Not bad for a pitcher who was often overlooked as one of the state's best. "I guess I snuck in under the radar," said the southpaw, who was 19-3 with a 1.27 ERA heading into the game. "I always knew what I could do and I tried never to worry about what others said. But I guess I erased all that today." Barrett had to work her way out of two jams in the game. In the first, the Owls committed a pair of errors that put runners at the corners with two outs. But Barrett forced Danielle Stoodley to pop out to second baseman Annie Hansbury. Her toughest test came in the fifth when Sara Bracken led off the inning with a triple. "I said to myself, 'It's time to go to work,'" said Barrett, who graduated in the top 10 students in her class. "I reminded myself not to change my approach, just hit my spots and let my fielders do the rest." She recovered by retiring the following batter, hitting Katie Bettencourt, then forcing the next two batters into groundouts, handling the second herself. She did not allow another hit on the day. "I can't even imagine how much pressure was on her shoulders," said Timberlane first baseman Kristin Crotts. "But she fought through it. She was great, we have always known we could rely on Steph." Not even the umpires could break Barrett's rhythm. In the third she was called for her pitching motion being illegal. "They said after I brought my hands together I couldn't step backwards (off the pitching rubber)," she said. "I did it and they were right. But I believe the greatest improvement I have made over the years is becoming mentally tougher. I just decided to buckle down and not let it deter me." While this would have thrown many pitchers off their game, it never fazed Barrett, who is headed to Bryant, but doesn't plan to play softball. True to form on this day, she struck out the next three batters. "Her stuff was amazing," said her sister. "She had amazing mental toughness and she came up huge. I am proud to be her sister today."
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