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OXFORD − After a rainy start to the week, there was sunshine across Greater Cincinnati on Thursday, May 28, for seven area softball teams in the Ohio High School Athletic Association regional semifinals. Two more (Kings and Little Miami) will battle for a spot in the regional finals on Friday.
At Miami University, three Division I Cincinnati softball programs showed up needing just two more wins to book a trip to Akron's Firestone Stadium for the state Final Four.
In the matinee opener, defending Division I state-champion Lebanon faced Centerville in a rematch of last year's state final. In the nightcap, Greater Miami Conference rivals Lakota East and Mason battled for the third time this spring.
Here's how the action unfolded.
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Lebanon's quest for back-to-back Division I state titles is over after a 4-2 loss to Centerville in the regional semifinals.
Lebanon, which beat Centerville 7-0 last month in the regular season, couldn't find the clutch hit it needed down the stretch and couldn't overcome a few defensive lapses as the Elks advanced.
Facing Centerville starter Caitlyn Belcher, Lebanon's first six hitters reached base to begin the contest, but the Warriors had a runner thrown out at the plate for the game's first out. The Warriors eventually struck first on a fielder's choice hit by Brianna Carter and an RBI single by Paislie Stansberry. Lebanon still had the bases loaded and one out but couldn't add to its hot start.
"It was a story of us letting a lot of opportunities just slip away," Lebanon head coach Brian Kindell said. "We probably should've scored more than two in the first inning."
Belcher, who had given up 26 hits combined in her previous three starts vs. Lebanon over 16 ⅓ innings, settled in, retiring 11 consecutive Warriors hitters.
Lebanon had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth but couldn't tie it. In the seventh, leadoff hitter Sophie Abrams worked a one-out walk, but Emma Sheidler and Sophia Sheidler lined out in consecutive at-bats to end it.
Centerville wasted no time cutting Lebanon's lead in half behind an offense fueled by Belcher and Greater Western Ohio Conference Player of the Year Natalie Carr. Carr, who knocked in Centerville's lone run in last year's state title game, walked twice, tripled, stole two bases and scored three of the Elks' four runs.
Belcher doubled Carr home in the first inning to make it a 2-1 game. In a long third inning, Centerville plated a pair of runs without a hit as the Elks took advantage of three walks, a fielder's choice, a run-scoring passed ball and a Lebanon throwing error.
Belcher's triple to begin the fifth inning was Centerville's second and final hit. She scored a key insurance run two batters later on Belcher's safety squeeze bunt that made it 4-2.
"Defensively, you can't give up four runs and only two hits," Kindell said. "We had a lot of free bases and free batters that you can't have in regionals, especially against Centerville. They're too good."
The Warriors finish the year at 20-10. Lebanon's senior's include Brianna Carter, Kyra Heyser, Skyler Perfetti, Caitlyn Kober, Avery Givens, Jenna Callahan and Sophia Sheidler.
Sheidler won 62 games in the circle over the last four seasons while hitting over .400 with 117 RBI. She was intentionally walked twice in four at-bats in Thursday's loss. Carter hit over .400 this season and Callahan, a .321 hitter over the last two years, singled to start Lebanon's fifth inning.
Over four years, Lebanon's senior class had a combined 98-23 overall record with a pair of co-Eastern Cincinnati Conference titles, three district championships, two regional crowns and, of course, the program's first state title.
"Seven seniors that have accomplished so much at Lebanon High School on the field. They’ve represented this program and their high school in a great way," Kindell said. "They’ll always be remembered by virtue of what happened last year, maybe not this year. I wished them luck moving forward and I know they’ll, with what happened last year, accomplish many more things in life than that."
Lakota East is one victory away from its first state Final Four berth since 2019 after another comeback victory.
In the district finals, Lakota East trailed, 3-2, in the fifth inning before scoring three unanswered runs to win it, 5-3. In Thursday's regional semifinals, the Thunderhawks trailed Mason, 3-1, after four innings before scoring four straight runs to beat the Comets, 5-3.
"We've been doing it all year. We just keep grinding, trying to find that inning," Lakota East head coach Steve Crawford said. "We've kind of done it all year. We find an inning later in the game and start putting some crooked numbers up there."
After stranding six runners through four innings, Lakota East's offense, which ranks No. 1 in the GMC in hits and scoring, broke through in the fifth. Third baseman Haley Thompson logged her second RBI single of the night to make it 3-2. Two batters later, Abrie Shulte's two-out RBI single to right field tied it at 3-3.
"We just really don't have too many holes in our lineup. They just go up there and battle," Steve Crawford said.
The biggest knock came in the sixth inning from Lakota East pitcher Kaleigh Crawford, who roped a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give the Thunderhawks the lead for good.
"Honestly, I was a little nervous going into it because they changed the pitcher right before I went up," Kaleigh Crawford said of her sixth inning at-bat. "It just felt so good. It was better than anything I squared up all day."
In the circle, Crawford allowed just two earned runs while striking out 14 over 14 combined innings in two wins over Mason during the regular season. The Comets also got timely two-out hitting, with a pair of RBI singles by freshman Claire Mickelson in the second inning to start the game's scoring and in the fourth inning to give Mason a 2-1 lead. Pinch-hitter Audrey Hunt followed with an RBI single to give the Comets a 3-1 advantage.
Crawford settled in from there, shutting out Mason over the final three innings. She permitted just a pair of singles and got Mason shortstop Morgan McBrayer to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game, sending the Thunderhawks into celebration mode in the infield.
"It feels unreal. It's been seven years since we got here as a program," Kaleigh Crawford said.
Mason wraps up the season at 18-12 overall. The Comets finished third in the Greater Miami Conference under first-year head coach Louis Coduti. Mason has now ended its season in the regional semifinals in seven out of the last eight seasons, with its last state Final Four appearance coming in 2016.
Mason's seniors include Brenna Thompson, Brooke Henson, Audrey Hunt, Anna Polca, Alyx Synan and Madelynne Rush. Polca, who appeared in relief in the sixth inning, won 28 games over four seasons with the Comets.
Mason should return plenty of firepower next season with just one senior in Thursday's starting lineup. The Comets started three freshmen (Audrey Renners, Brooklyn Adkins and Mickelson), a trio that combined for four hits, three runs and two RBI.
A spot in the state Final Four is on the line Friday, May 29, when Centerville and Lakota East meet at Miami University (5 p.m.).
The two teams met in the season-opener March 21, with Centerville winning, 3-0. The Elks were one of just two teams (Oak Hills) to shut out the high-powered Thunderhawks this season. It will be the first postseason meeting between the two programs since the 2015 district semifinals, which Lakota East won, 3-0.
"We know Centerville is a good team. Belcher is a good pitcher, and they have hitters up and down their lineup, too," Steve Crawford said. "(Centerville head coach) Wendell (Hutchinson) will bring them prepared. They'll be ready to go tomorrow."
The Highlanders were denied a trip to the DI, Region 1 championship with a 5-4, 18-inning loss to the Grove City Greyhounds.
It is the 12th-longest softball game in OHSAA history and the only one to last exactly 18 innings.
The teams combined to throw 521 pitches. Greater Miami Conference Pitcher of the Year Annaliese Szabo threw 15 innings, striking out nine batters while allowing nine hits and four runs. Oak Hills went 16-for-65 at the plate; Grove City went 14-for-66.
The Highlanders took the lead four different times, in the sixth, 11th, 13th and 15th innings. Each time, Grove City had an answer.
Sasha Emmrich got the scoring started with a two-out double. Cami O'Neal scored Ava Blount, who had tripled, with a sacrifice fly.
Oak Hills loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning but Mariah Cook lined into a double play. Grove City found itself in the same scenario in the bottom of the inning before two stellar defensive plays from the Highlanders kept the game going.
Emily Lacock hit a solo home run in the 11th inning, her fifth long shot of the year. Addison Cherry's one-out double scored Addison Phillips to tie the score at 2-2.
Payton Veneman singled home Lacock in the 13th inning, but Alexis Witts's two-out single tied the score yet again.
At the top of the 15th, Brook Hoffmeier tripled to center field, coming home on a fielding error. Witts kept the game going with a sacrifice fly to score Quinn Loar.
Veneman pitched two-plus innings but couldn't escape an 18th-inning jam. Sydney McBride tripled to open the frame and scored the winning run when Phillips grounded the first pitch she saw into center field.
Oak Hills ends its season in the regional tournament for the second year in a row. The Highlanders finished in second place in the GMC and had a 22-6 record. The Highlanders graduate four seniors in Szabo, Veneman, Taylor Randall and Lilly Rice.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Centerville, Lakota East advance to Division I regional softball final
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At Miami University, three Division I Cincinnati softball programs showed up needing just two more wins to book a trip to Akron's Firestone Stadium for the state Final Four.
In the matinee opener, defending Division I state-champion Lebanon faced Centerville in a rematch of last year's state final. In the nightcap, Greater Miami Conference rivals Lakota East and Mason battled for the third time this spring.
Here's how the action unfolded.
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Centerville gets revenge against Lebanon in Division I regional semifinals
Lebanon's quest for back-to-back Division I state titles is over after a 4-2 loss to Centerville in the regional semifinals.
Lebanon, which beat Centerville 7-0 last month in the regular season, couldn't find the clutch hit it needed down the stretch and couldn't overcome a few defensive lapses as the Elks advanced.
Facing Centerville starter Caitlyn Belcher, Lebanon's first six hitters reached base to begin the contest, but the Warriors had a runner thrown out at the plate for the game's first out. The Warriors eventually struck first on a fielder's choice hit by Brianna Carter and an RBI single by Paislie Stansberry. Lebanon still had the bases loaded and one out but couldn't add to its hot start.
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"It was a story of us letting a lot of opportunities just slip away," Lebanon head coach Brian Kindell said. "We probably should've scored more than two in the first inning."
Belcher, who had given up 26 hits combined in her previous three starts vs. Lebanon over 16 ⅓ innings, settled in, retiring 11 consecutive Warriors hitters.
Lebanon had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth but couldn't tie it. In the seventh, leadoff hitter Sophie Abrams worked a one-out walk, but Emma Sheidler and Sophia Sheidler lined out in consecutive at-bats to end it.
Centerville wasted no time cutting Lebanon's lead in half behind an offense fueled by Belcher and Greater Western Ohio Conference Player of the Year Natalie Carr. Carr, who knocked in Centerville's lone run in last year's state title game, walked twice, tripled, stole two bases and scored three of the Elks' four runs.
Belcher doubled Carr home in the first inning to make it a 2-1 game. In a long third inning, Centerville plated a pair of runs without a hit as the Elks took advantage of three walks, a fielder's choice, a run-scoring passed ball and a Lebanon throwing error.
Belcher's triple to begin the fifth inning was Centerville's second and final hit. She scored a key insurance run two batters later on Belcher's safety squeeze bunt that made it 4-2.
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"Defensively, you can't give up four runs and only two hits," Kindell said. "We had a lot of free bases and free batters that you can't have in regionals, especially against Centerville. They're too good."
The Warriors finish the year at 20-10. Lebanon's senior's include Brianna Carter, Kyra Heyser, Skyler Perfetti, Caitlyn Kober, Avery Givens, Jenna Callahan and Sophia Sheidler.
Sheidler won 62 games in the circle over the last four seasons while hitting over .400 with 117 RBI. She was intentionally walked twice in four at-bats in Thursday's loss. Carter hit over .400 this season and Callahan, a .321 hitter over the last two years, singled to start Lebanon's fifth inning.
Over four years, Lebanon's senior class had a combined 98-23 overall record with a pair of co-Eastern Cincinnati Conference titles, three district championships, two regional crowns and, of course, the program's first state title.
"Seven seniors that have accomplished so much at Lebanon High School on the field. They’ve represented this program and their high school in a great way," Kindell said. "They’ll always be remembered by virtue of what happened last year, maybe not this year. I wished them luck moving forward and I know they’ll, with what happened last year, accomplish many more things in life than that."
Lakota East rallies to beat Mason for regional championship berth
Lakota East is one victory away from its first state Final Four berth since 2019 after another comeback victory.
In the district finals, Lakota East trailed, 3-2, in the fifth inning before scoring three unanswered runs to win it, 5-3. In Thursday's regional semifinals, the Thunderhawks trailed Mason, 3-1, after four innings before scoring four straight runs to beat the Comets, 5-3.
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"We've been doing it all year. We just keep grinding, trying to find that inning," Lakota East head coach Steve Crawford said. "We've kind of done it all year. We find an inning later in the game and start putting some crooked numbers up there."
After stranding six runners through four innings, Lakota East's offense, which ranks No. 1 in the GMC in hits and scoring, broke through in the fifth. Third baseman Haley Thompson logged her second RBI single of the night to make it 3-2. Two batters later, Abrie Shulte's two-out RBI single to right field tied it at 3-3.
"We just really don't have too many holes in our lineup. They just go up there and battle," Steve Crawford said.
The biggest knock came in the sixth inning from Lakota East pitcher Kaleigh Crawford, who roped a two-out, two-run single up the middle to give the Thunderhawks the lead for good.
"Honestly, I was a little nervous going into it because they changed the pitcher right before I went up," Kaleigh Crawford said of her sixth inning at-bat. "It just felt so good. It was better than anything I squared up all day."
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In the circle, Crawford allowed just two earned runs while striking out 14 over 14 combined innings in two wins over Mason during the regular season. The Comets also got timely two-out hitting, with a pair of RBI singles by freshman Claire Mickelson in the second inning to start the game's scoring and in the fourth inning to give Mason a 2-1 lead. Pinch-hitter Audrey Hunt followed with an RBI single to give the Comets a 3-1 advantage.
Crawford settled in from there, shutting out Mason over the final three innings. She permitted just a pair of singles and got Mason shortstop Morgan McBrayer to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game, sending the Thunderhawks into celebration mode in the infield.
"It feels unreal. It's been seven years since we got here as a program," Kaleigh Crawford said.
Mason wraps up the season at 18-12 overall. The Comets finished third in the Greater Miami Conference under first-year head coach Louis Coduti. Mason has now ended its season in the regional semifinals in seven out of the last eight seasons, with its last state Final Four appearance coming in 2016.
Mason's seniors include Brenna Thompson, Brooke Henson, Audrey Hunt, Anna Polca, Alyx Synan and Madelynne Rush. Polca, who appeared in relief in the sixth inning, won 28 games over four seasons with the Comets.
Mason should return plenty of firepower next season with just one senior in Thursday's starting lineup. The Comets started three freshmen (Audrey Renners, Brooklyn Adkins and Mickelson), a trio that combined for four hits, three runs and two RBI.
Lakota East will face Centerville in regional final
A spot in the state Final Four is on the line Friday, May 29, when Centerville and Lakota East meet at Miami University (5 p.m.).
The two teams met in the season-opener March 21, with Centerville winning, 3-0. The Elks were one of just two teams (Oak Hills) to shut out the high-powered Thunderhawks this season. It will be the first postseason meeting between the two programs since the 2015 district semifinals, which Lakota East won, 3-0.
"We know Centerville is a good team. Belcher is a good pitcher, and they have hitters up and down their lineup, too," Steve Crawford said. "(Centerville head coach) Wendell (Hutchinson) will bring them prepared. They'll be ready to go tomorrow."
Oak Hills drops marathon heartbreaker to Grove City
The Highlanders were denied a trip to the DI, Region 1 championship with a 5-4, 18-inning loss to the Grove City Greyhounds.
It is the 12th-longest softball game in OHSAA history and the only one to last exactly 18 innings.
The teams combined to throw 521 pitches. Greater Miami Conference Pitcher of the Year Annaliese Szabo threw 15 innings, striking out nine batters while allowing nine hits and four runs. Oak Hills went 16-for-65 at the plate; Grove City went 14-for-66.
The Highlanders took the lead four different times, in the sixth, 11th, 13th and 15th innings. Each time, Grove City had an answer.
Sasha Emmrich got the scoring started with a two-out double. Cami O'Neal scored Ava Blount, who had tripled, with a sacrifice fly.
Oak Hills loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning but Mariah Cook lined into a double play. Grove City found itself in the same scenario in the bottom of the inning before two stellar defensive plays from the Highlanders kept the game going.
Emily Lacock hit a solo home run in the 11th inning, her fifth long shot of the year. Addison Cherry's one-out double scored Addison Phillips to tie the score at 2-2.
Payton Veneman singled home Lacock in the 13th inning, but Alexis Witts's two-out single tied the score yet again.
At the top of the 15th, Brook Hoffmeier tripled to center field, coming home on a fielding error. Witts kept the game going with a sacrifice fly to score Quinn Loar.
Veneman pitched two-plus innings but couldn't escape an 18th-inning jam. Sydney McBride tripled to open the frame and scored the winning run when Phillips grounded the first pitch she saw into center field.
Oak Hills ends its season in the regional tournament for the second year in a row. The Highlanders finished in second place in the GMC and had a 22-6 record. The Highlanders graduate four seniors in Szabo, Veneman, Taylor Randall and Lilly Rice.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Centerville, Lakota East advance to Division I regional softball final
Continue reading...
