OHSAA Softball District Semifinals
Indian Lake 9, Brookville 7 (Suspended, Bottom 7th)
The Indian Lake Lady Lakers are just three outs away from a district finals berth, but weather forced their semifinal matchup with Brookville to be suspended with the Lakers leading 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Indian Lake wasted no time getting the offense going in the first. MacKenzie Miller singled on a high fly ball to center and stole second before Kyler Carruthers was hit by a pitch with two outs. Annie Rapp then stepped up and crushed a three-run homer to right field on the first pitch she saw, quickly giving the Lakers a 3-0 lead.
Brookville answered with a run in the bottom of the first on a one-out RBI double and added another in the second after a hit batter stole second, advanced on a passed ball, and later scored following a catcher error to trim the deficit to 3-2.
The Lakers added a run back in the third when Izzi Mackesy drove home Miller on a one-out infield single, but Brookville surged ahead in the bottom half. The Blue Devils tied the game after an error at shortstop allowed a run to score, another run crossed before the next pitch on a defensive miscue, and a two-out RBI single gave Brookville a 5-4 lead after three innings.
Indian Lake immediately responded in the fourth with two-out offense of its own. With the bases loaded, Bre Wisener reached on an infield single that allowed Brylee Buyer to score, and Mackesy followed on the very next pitch with a hard ground ball through the left side to plate two more runs and put the Lakers back ahead 7-5.
Wisener settled in after the rocky start, tossing two straight scoreless innings while recording her sixth, seventh, and eighth strikeouts during that stretch. She also stranded two runners in the fifth to preserve the lead.
Brookville rallied again in the sixth. After Wisener retired the first two hitters, a walk and single set the stage for a game-tying two-run double to deep center field, evening the score at 7-7.
The Lakers answered immediately in the seventh. Rapp singled to open the inning, Buyer ripped an RBI triple to center for the go-ahead run, and Payton Davis followed with a sacrifice fly to provide an important insurance run and a 9-7 advantage.
Wisener had thrown just two pitches in the bottom of the seventh before lightning and heavy rain suspended the contest. Play will resume on Wednesday, May 20, with Brookville batting, no outs, and a 1-1 count.
Tri-Village 6, West Liberty-Salem 1 (Suspended, Bottom 2nd)
The district semifinal between West Liberty-Salem and top-seeded Tri-Village was suspended due to weather with the Lady Patriots leading 6-1 in the bottom of the second inning.
Both teams were quiet in the opening frame. The Lady Tigers stranded two runners who both reached on errors, while pitcher Kiersten Stoll tossed a clean 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half to keep the game scoreless after one.
West Liberty-Salem struck first in the second inning. Ashlyn Yeater led off with a double to center, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Rhyla Branham, and scored on a Britton Carter RBI single to right field for a 1-0 lead. The Tigers later loaded the bases in the inning but were unable to add on.
The momentum quickly shifted in the bottom half as Tri-Village erupted for six runs. The Patriots had their first four batters reach safely, including back-to-back singles to open the inning. A catcher error and another defensive mistake allowed Tri-Village to take a 2-1 lead before a runner later stole home to make it 3-1. An RBI groundout pushed across another run, then a later RBI single and a passed ball stretched the lead to 6-1.
The inning concluded moments before storms moved into the area, forcing the game into suspension. Action will resume on Wednesday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m.
West Jefferson 3, Mechanicsburg 2
The Mechanicsburg Lady Indians saw their season come to an end in a hard-fought 3-2 loss to OHC rival West Jefferson in district semifinal action.
Mechanicsburg came out sharp early and grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Avery McDowell singled to open the game before Bella Batkiewicz added another hit to right field. A throwing error from the outfield allowed McDowell to score, and Batkiewicz later came home on a sacrifice fly from Maddie Carruthers and another throwing error.
Pitcher Aubrie Retterer kept the powerful Roughriders quiet through the first three innings, working around multiple baserunners while striking out three batters. She stranded two runners in the first, worked around a leadoff single in the second, and tossed a clean third inning to preserve the lead.
The Roughriders finally broke through in the fourth. After a runner was thrown out attempting to steal third, West Jefferson responded with three straight singles, the final two bringing home runs to tie the game at 2-2.
West Jefferson grabbed the lead for good in the fifth. A leadoff single, stolen base, and wild pitch moved a runner into scoring position before a two-out double down the left field line gave the Roughriders a 3-2 advantage.
Mechanicsburg had chances late. The Indians put two runners aboard in the sixth before an inning-ending double play erased the threat. In the seventh, Keelyn McGhee singled with one out, advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Basha Batkiewicz, and moved to third on a wild pitch, but a strikeout ended the comeback bid with the tying run just 60 feet away.
Retterer tossed a complete game, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out six.
Batkiewicz led the Indians with two hits and a run scored, while McDowell and McGhee each added hits. Mechanicsburg closes the season at 6-14.
Tippecanoe 10, Bellefontaine 3
Bellefontaine’s postseason run came to an end in a 10-3 loss to Tippecanoe in district semifinal action.
The Lady Chieftains grabbed an early lead in the opening inning. Cameo Greene and Ava Dolan opened the game with back-to-back singles before Addison Wical ripped an RBI double to put Bellefontaine ahead 1-0. Chloe Heminger later drew a walk to load the bases, but the Chiefs were unable to capitalize further.
Joy Fogan started strong in the circle as well, retiring Tippecanoe in order during the first inning to keep the early advantage intact.
The Red Devils took control in the second with a five-run inning fueled by timely hitting and Bellefontaine miscues. An RBI single tied the game before a double on the next batter gave Tipp the lead. A two-run single and an error at second later in the inning helped the Red Devils stretch the lead to 5-1.
Tippecanoe continued to add on over the next several innings with a solo home run in the third and more offense in the fourth and fifth to build a commanding 10-1 lead.
Bellefontaine threatened multiple times but stranded runners in key moments during both the fifth and sixth innings. The Chiefs also made a strong defensive play in the sixth to avoid the run rule, forcing a runner out at home on a 5-2 putout before Heminger snagged a line drive to end the inning.
In the seventh, Wical singled to lead off the inning before Fogan blasted a two-run homer, her 12th of the season, tying the Bellefontaine record for career home runs.
Fogan went the distance in the circle, allowing 10 runs, though only four were earned. She also finished with two hits and two RBIs offensively, while Wical closed her career with a 3-for-4 performance and an RBI.
Bellefontaine finishes the season at 5-20.
Carlisle 12, Urbana 1 (5 innings)
The Urbana Lady Hillclimbers saw their season come to an end in a 12-1 run-rule loss to Carlisle in district semifinal action.
Both teams were quiet early as Urbana pitcher Isla Wooten opened with a perfect first inning, while Chloe Easterday doubled to begin the bottom of the first and eventually reached third after a passed ball. However, a long at-bat from Morgan Boyd ended in a flyout to center, and the Lady Hillclimbers stranded the early scoring chance.
Carlisle broke through in the second inning. After a single and walk put two runners aboard, a two-out RBI single to center gave the Lady Indians a 1-0 lead.
The game changed in the third as Carlisle erupted for six runs. Back-to-back two-out RBI hits, including a two-run double and another two-run single, highlighted the inning as the lead ballooned to 7-0. Urbana did prevent another run in the frame when Addie Fox relayed a throw through Morgan Hoffman to catcher Bailee Packer, who tagged out a runner at the plate trying to score from second.
Carlisle continued to pile on with a two-run single in the fourth and three more runs in the fifth to put the run rule into effect.
Trying to extend the game in the bottom of the fifth, Urbana put two runners aboard after a leadoff single from Easterday and a walk by Fox. Both advanced on a flyout before Boyd lifted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Easterday for the team’s lone run.
Wooten and the Urbana pitching staff allowed nine hits and 10 walks as Carlisle scored all 12 runs earned. Easterday and Wooten each recorded two hits, while Boyd drove in the only run.
Urbana closes out a strong season with a 19-7 record.
