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Jun. 4—Brenna Fyffe's seventh plate appearance at regionals is when the opposition decided to draw a line in the sand.
She was intentionally walked with two runners on and two outs in the sixth inning and Kenton Ridge leading 7-0. The potential game-ending run being put on the basepaths didn't matter. Opponents had enough when it came to pitching to her.
With three home runs in two games at regionals and looking like the ball would leave the yard each time she connected, Fyffe helped guide Kenton Ridge to seeing the finish line in sight in its quest to win a second straight Division IV state championship.
She positioned herself to be one of the most decorated players in state history at the same time.
Kenton Ridge plays Mogagore Field at 3 p.m. Friday, June 5 ar Akron's Firestone Stadium in the Division IV state semifinals. KR could become the second team in state history to complete consecutive undefeated state championship seasons with two more wins. Fyffe has played a large role in the success.
Fyffe first set a state record for the most career RBI when she eclipsed the previous mark of 223 in a May 9 game against Jonathan Alder.
During the same game as part of a two home run day, she hit her 18th of the season to break a team record set by teammate Ivee Rastatter last season. Three home runs at regionals has her season total now at 23, which ties the previous state record set by three players in the last decade. Fyffe is two away from matching Centerburg's Abigail Herren's total of 25 reached on May 15.
"My goal is just to hit line drives. Home runs are just happy little accidents," Fyffe said.
Getting to the home run record would also see Fyffe tie another state mark — the career runs scored record. She has 212 entering Friday's game, which is two behind the record of 214 set by Taylor Kline of Bellville Clear Fork from 2011-14.
"The girl puts in a lot of work," KR head coach Sarah Schalnat said. "We have practice every day, but she's always staying after and getting hitting practice in, her mom comes up and throws to her and everything."
Her 234 career hits is seventh in Ohio history. If she hits those two more home runs, she would become the seventh player in state history to reach 50 in a career. She hit a home run in seven straight games earlier this regular season, which tied as the sixth longest streak in state history.
It's quite the list of accomplishments on the table. None of the individual recognition would match setting team history, she said.
"We go out and we want to win. And we go out and we're like, teams have to beat us," Fyffe said. "But every team's just good now, so we just know we have to play to our level and not go down a level."
Facing Carlisle on May 28, Fyffe lofted a 2-2 pitch out to straight center field during her first at-bat. The ball may have gone out on its own, but got any assistance needed with the wind blowing straight out.
It looked like she barrelled another in the third inning close to the same spot but it found a glove roughly 10 feet short of the fence. She followed up in the sixth with a line drive laser that hit the bottom half of the fence for a double, eventually coming home to score the winning run in a 2-1 win.
The next day playing Taylor it was a familiar site. Fyffe fouled off several pitches before going the other way to right center for a home run in the first inning before having her next at-bat end with a long fly ball to center in the third.
When she stepped up in the fifth, Fyffe set off a loud celebration from the hometown crowd at Centerville Stadium. She smashed a 1-1 pitch to dead center that only needed roughly 2.5 seconds to clear the fence and eventually was caught by a child at least 40 feet past.
Fyffe described her focus at the plate as the ball looking like a "big balloon" at regionals. That's when her opponents threw up the white flag.
"She's doing fantastic and I just love watching her walk up and giving me a smile. I just know she's confident and she's believing in herself and just doing a great job," Schalnat said.
KR has already set the team state's single season home record with 68 and counting.
In addition to Fyffe's potential records, several other individual and team achievements are being chased by Kenton Ridge this week and possibly into next season:
* Should KR win the state championship, it would become the second team in state history to complete consecutive undefeated state title runs, joining Portsmouth Clay in 1980-81 going 25-0 and 29-0 to win Class A titles.
* Rastatter has the sixth season with at least 30 pitching wins in state history. Two more would move her into second place on the list alone, two behind the state record of 34 set by Kenton Ridge's Molly Binz in 2002 — which may be an unbreakable record in the current OHSAA rules allowing for a maximum of 27 record games to participate in the postseason.
* Rastatter has a 59-0 record in her two varsity seasons. The state's consecutive wins record is 63 which could be reached early next season.
* The state's record for consecutive wins including tournament games is 68. KR could end the season at 64.
Fyffe does swing and miss occasionally. She said her teammates just laugh when it happens and she herself gets a kick out of their humor over it.
Opponents are having a hard time smiling as they watch ball after ball sail over the fence against them.
Continue reading...
She was intentionally walked with two runners on and two outs in the sixth inning and Kenton Ridge leading 7-0. The potential game-ending run being put on the basepaths didn't matter. Opponents had enough when it came to pitching to her.
With three home runs in two games at regionals and looking like the ball would leave the yard each time she connected, Fyffe helped guide Kenton Ridge to seeing the finish line in sight in its quest to win a second straight Division IV state championship.
She positioned herself to be one of the most decorated players in state history at the same time.
Kenton Ridge plays Mogagore Field at 3 p.m. Friday, June 5 ar Akron's Firestone Stadium in the Division IV state semifinals. KR could become the second team in state history to complete consecutive undefeated state championship seasons with two more wins. Fyffe has played a large role in the success.
Fyffe first set a state record for the most career RBI when she eclipsed the previous mark of 223 in a May 9 game against Jonathan Alder.
During the same game as part of a two home run day, she hit her 18th of the season to break a team record set by teammate Ivee Rastatter last season. Three home runs at regionals has her season total now at 23, which ties the previous state record set by three players in the last decade. Fyffe is two away from matching Centerburg's Abigail Herren's total of 25 reached on May 15.
"My goal is just to hit line drives. Home runs are just happy little accidents," Fyffe said.
Getting to the home run record would also see Fyffe tie another state mark — the career runs scored record. She has 212 entering Friday's game, which is two behind the record of 214 set by Taylor Kline of Bellville Clear Fork from 2011-14.
"The girl puts in a lot of work," KR head coach Sarah Schalnat said. "We have practice every day, but she's always staying after and getting hitting practice in, her mom comes up and throws to her and everything."
Her 234 career hits is seventh in Ohio history. If she hits those two more home runs, she would become the seventh player in state history to reach 50 in a career. She hit a home run in seven straight games earlier this regular season, which tied as the sixth longest streak in state history.
It's quite the list of accomplishments on the table. None of the individual recognition would match setting team history, she said.
"We go out and we want to win. And we go out and we're like, teams have to beat us," Fyffe said. "But every team's just good now, so we just know we have to play to our level and not go down a level."
Facing Carlisle on May 28, Fyffe lofted a 2-2 pitch out to straight center field during her first at-bat. The ball may have gone out on its own, but got any assistance needed with the wind blowing straight out.
It looked like she barrelled another in the third inning close to the same spot but it found a glove roughly 10 feet short of the fence. She followed up in the sixth with a line drive laser that hit the bottom half of the fence for a double, eventually coming home to score the winning run in a 2-1 win.
The next day playing Taylor it was a familiar site. Fyffe fouled off several pitches before going the other way to right center for a home run in the first inning before having her next at-bat end with a long fly ball to center in the third.
When she stepped up in the fifth, Fyffe set off a loud celebration from the hometown crowd at Centerville Stadium. She smashed a 1-1 pitch to dead center that only needed roughly 2.5 seconds to clear the fence and eventually was caught by a child at least 40 feet past.
Fyffe described her focus at the plate as the ball looking like a "big balloon" at regionals. That's when her opponents threw up the white flag.
"She's doing fantastic and I just love watching her walk up and giving me a smile. I just know she's confident and she's believing in herself and just doing a great job," Schalnat said.
KR has already set the team state's single season home record with 68 and counting.
In addition to Fyffe's potential records, several other individual and team achievements are being chased by Kenton Ridge this week and possibly into next season:
* Should KR win the state championship, it would become the second team in state history to complete consecutive undefeated state title runs, joining Portsmouth Clay in 1980-81 going 25-0 and 29-0 to win Class A titles.
* Rastatter has the sixth season with at least 30 pitching wins in state history. Two more would move her into second place on the list alone, two behind the state record of 34 set by Kenton Ridge's Molly Binz in 2002 — which may be an unbreakable record in the current OHSAA rules allowing for a maximum of 27 record games to participate in the postseason.
* Rastatter has a 59-0 record in her two varsity seasons. The state's consecutive wins record is 63 which could be reached early next season.
* The state's record for consecutive wins including tournament games is 68. KR could end the season at 64.
Fyffe does swing and miss occasionally. She said her teammates just laugh when it happens and she herself gets a kick out of their humor over it.
Opponents are having a hard time smiling as they watch ball after ball sail over the fence against them.
Continue reading...
