By Tommy Keeler Jr. -- Daily Staff Writer

STEPHENS CITY — Ashley Ebersole is a perfectionist.

Central's catcher threw ball after ball during pregame warm-ups on Monday night, pursuing a perfect strike from home to second base.

"Just one more," Ebersole told her coach, Jill Yew.

Finally, after several tries, she made a throw that satisfied her.

"I don't like to end things on a negative ending," Ebersole said.

With Ebersole's drive for perfection, it was no surprise that it was her game-ending throw that she was excited about after Central's 3-0 win over Sherando, instead of her two-run, inside-the-park-homer.

Ebersole caught Sherando's Raven Porter trying to steal second to end the game to help preserve a shutout for pitcher Brea Hinegardner.

"That was awesome," Ebersole said of her throw. "I love to hit, but that's where I get my rush. It was a good way to end the game."

Ebersole led the Falcons' offensive surge in the top of the fourth inning. Britney Mumaw led off with a single off Sherando pitcher Nicole Musser and stole second. One out later, Hinegardner followed with an RBI single into right field to give Central a 1-0 lead.

"I really was just trying to get the bat on the ball," Hinegardner said. "I was just trying to put the ball anywhere I could."

Ebersole then followed with a shot that went over Sherando left fielder Shatora Lane's head and to the left-field fence. By the time the Warriors (9-9, 6-6 Northwestern) could get the ball back to the infield, Ebersole was home safely with her third homer of the season.

"Mentally at the plate, I was just trying to make contact with the ball," Ebersole said. "Coach [Yew] had given me the hit-and-run sign. Once I rounded second, I knew I could score. My goal was to try and catch Brea, but that didn't work out so well."

The only problem Hinegardner had inside the pitching circle was with the dirt. The sophomore had trouble keeping her balance due to a hard spot in the circle.

"I have a longer stride than Nicole, I think that's why it bothered me more than it did her," Hinegardner said. "It really didn't effect me that much. Then we poured some water on it and that helped. It wasn't a big deal. I felt good out there."

Hinegardner felt even better after the Falcons (10-7, 8-4) took a 3-0 lead. The Warriors' only offensive threat came in the bottom of the fifth.

Sherando's Samantha Meeker and Musser had back-to-back hits to put runners on second and third with one out. Sherando's Emily Prout hit a hard line drive right to Central third baseman Jennifer Estep, who calmly threw to second to double up Musser.

"Jennifer has made quite a few plays like that for us," Yew said. "We call her 'snagger' because on nine out of 10 plays like that, she's going to be able to get the ball. She has no fear."

Musser struck out 11 and allowed only five hits. Sherando coach Erin Bundrick said she was happy with the effort of her team.

"We've been working hard on our defense and I thought we did well defensively today," Bundrick said. "Brea pitched a great game and kept our batter off balance."

Hinegardner had seven strikeouts and allowed only three hits. Mumaw led the Falcons with a 2-for-2 day at the plate and a run scored. The win keeps Central in third place in the district, just a game behind second-place Millbrook.

Central will ride the momentum of its win at undefeated Brentsville on Friday.

"This gives us a real confidence boost," Ebersole said. "If we play like we did today, I think we can give Brentsville [its] first loss of the year. We really played like a team today."

*Contact Tommy Keeler Jr. at tkeeler@nvdaily.com

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