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SUGAR GROVE — In dire need of a rally down two runs with two innings to play, Olivia McCue lined a lead-off homer in the sixth to give Dover some hope.
Emma Brandt made sure the momentum was short lived.
Brandt, Bloom-Carroll’s ace pitcher headed to Shawnee State, retired six of the next seven batters she faced — she struck out the side in the seventh — to send the Bulldogs to a 3-2 win in a Division III regional semifinal on May 28 at Berne Union High School.
The win didn’t just secure a spot in the finals and avenge a 2025 regional loss to the Tornadoes, who carried a 24-0 record into the game. It also means there will be a new state champion crowned next weekend.
Complete results | OHSAA softball scores, schedule for the 2026 East District tournament
Brandt and Co looked like prime candidates. They face Plain City Jonathan Alder, which topped Tri-Valley, 11-4, in the other semifinal, at 5 p.m. on May 29 for a state bid.
“That’s the plan,” B-C coach Chris Lucas said of the prospects of a state title.
Brandt struck out 12, walked one, hit a batter and scattered five hits in a game the teams combined for 20 strikeouts. Dover’s two-headed pitching machine of Kara Lint and sister Abby struck out eight with no walks.
They did, however, yield the game’s two biggest hits.
The first came when All-Ohio lead-off extraordinaire Madelyn Gates, a Northern Kentucky signee hitting more than .600, lined an opposite-field double just past the outstretched glove of leaping left fielder Chera Schmidt with Dover leading 10 in the third. It put runners on second and third with one out.
Two batters later, after a foiled bunt attempt, Brandt hit a soft liner between the first and second basemen that sent both runners home. It sent B-C ahead, 2-1.
The real backbreaker came two innings later, when No. 9 hitter Maddi Walters hit a wind-aided homer to the right field power alley off Kara Lint that sent B-C up two.
“We tried to put her down there because (Gates) is a .600 hitter, and we liked to have somebody who is the fastest person on the team and somebody that gets on base in the No. 9 hole," Lucas said. "Well, she wasn’t on base, but it was even better.”
It proved critical after McCue’s homer. Regardless, Brandt was simply too tough on this day.
“We just struggled to make the adjustment to the outside pitch and take it to the right side,” Dover coach Hannah Duff said afterward.
Brandt took plenty of mental notes.
“Usually I throw a drop curve,” Brandt explained. “But today I was having a normal curve, and it honestly had a little spin upwards so it was missing their bats. And it worked.”
Brandt said the two-run lead helped her get settled. That was aided by confidence in the defenders around her and catcher Addi Brown, with whom she felt could help her work through each at-bat.
She vowed to be ready for the finals, which will be less than 24 hours away after she gets back home.
"I just need some sleep and an ice pack, and I will be good to go," Brandt said. "I love pitching. It's my favorite thing ever. I love the feeling of winning, and even if I'm not winning, I love being the leader on the field. It just makes me feel better. I love my team."
On the flip side, Dover lost for the first time in 36 games dating to the 2025 season.
The seniors, including Ohio University-bound Kara Lint, were part of three consecutive regional tournaments under Duff's watch.
Their legacy remains strong as ever, despite the loss.
"We've been having good practices and stuff, but this is just what happens during tournament time," Duff said. "I kept waiting for the rally, and it just wasn't happening. It wasn't our day to rally."
Ella Tonya singled twice and scored the Tornadoes' first run. Ali Hupp and Schmidt also had singles, while Kara Lint pitched three innings of two-hit relief with six strikeouts.
Gates had a double and two singles, and Walters also singled.
[email protected]; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Bloom-Carroll softball snaps Dover streak, moves one win from state
Continue reading...
Emma Brandt made sure the momentum was short lived.
Brandt, Bloom-Carroll’s ace pitcher headed to Shawnee State, retired six of the next seven batters she faced — she struck out the side in the seventh — to send the Bulldogs to a 3-2 win in a Division III regional semifinal on May 28 at Berne Union High School.
The win didn’t just secure a spot in the finals and avenge a 2025 regional loss to the Tornadoes, who carried a 24-0 record into the game. It also means there will be a new state champion crowned next weekend.
Complete results | OHSAA softball scores, schedule for the 2026 East District tournament
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Brandt and Co looked like prime candidates. They face Plain City Jonathan Alder, which topped Tri-Valley, 11-4, in the other semifinal, at 5 p.m. on May 29 for a state bid.
“That’s the plan,” B-C coach Chris Lucas said of the prospects of a state title.
Brandt struck out 12, walked one, hit a batter and scattered five hits in a game the teams combined for 20 strikeouts. Dover’s two-headed pitching machine of Kara Lint and sister Abby struck out eight with no walks.
They did, however, yield the game’s two biggest hits.
The first came when All-Ohio lead-off extraordinaire Madelyn Gates, a Northern Kentucky signee hitting more than .600, lined an opposite-field double just past the outstretched glove of leaping left fielder Chera Schmidt with Dover leading 10 in the third. It put runners on second and third with one out.
Two batters later, after a foiled bunt attempt, Brandt hit a soft liner between the first and second basemen that sent both runners home. It sent B-C ahead, 2-1.
The real backbreaker came two innings later, when No. 9 hitter Maddi Walters hit a wind-aided homer to the right field power alley off Kara Lint that sent B-C up two.
“We tried to put her down there because (Gates) is a .600 hitter, and we liked to have somebody who is the fastest person on the team and somebody that gets on base in the No. 9 hole," Lucas said. "Well, she wasn’t on base, but it was even better.”
It proved critical after McCue’s homer. Regardless, Brandt was simply too tough on this day.
“We just struggled to make the adjustment to the outside pitch and take it to the right side,” Dover coach Hannah Duff said afterward.
Brandt took plenty of mental notes.
“Usually I throw a drop curve,” Brandt explained. “But today I was having a normal curve, and it honestly had a little spin upwards so it was missing their bats. And it worked.”
Brandt said the two-run lead helped her get settled. That was aided by confidence in the defenders around her and catcher Addi Brown, with whom she felt could help her work through each at-bat.
She vowed to be ready for the finals, which will be less than 24 hours away after she gets back home.
"I just need some sleep and an ice pack, and I will be good to go," Brandt said. "I love pitching. It's my favorite thing ever. I love the feeling of winning, and even if I'm not winning, I love being the leader on the field. It just makes me feel better. I love my team."
On the flip side, Dover lost for the first time in 36 games dating to the 2025 season.
The seniors, including Ohio University-bound Kara Lint, were part of three consecutive regional tournaments under Duff's watch.
Their legacy remains strong as ever, despite the loss.
"We've been having good practices and stuff, but this is just what happens during tournament time," Duff said. "I kept waiting for the rally, and it just wasn't happening. It wasn't our day to rally."
Ella Tonya singled twice and scored the Tornadoes' first run. Ali Hupp and Schmidt also had singles, while Kara Lint pitched three innings of two-hit relief with six strikeouts.
Gates had a double and two singles, and Walters also singled.
[email protected]; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Bloom-Carroll softball snaps Dover streak, moves one win from state
Continue reading...
