Cardington rolls into softball final

“We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we just want the chance.”

AKRON — As Cardington’s Baylee Adams trotted around the bases after hitting a two-run homer in the fifth inning, Fallout Boy’s “Light Em Up” blared over the speakers in Firestone Stadium.

The timing of the song couldn’t have been more apropos, as the Pirates lit up Buckeye Trail early and often in blanking the Warriors 10-0 in 4 innings in a Division III state semifinal. Cardington (26-3) advanced to the state final for the first time in program history to face undefeated Warren Champion (30-0).

“We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we just want the chance,” coach Tom Brininger said.

The Pirates jumped on Buckeye Trail starter Hannah Smith from the get-go, making her throw 137 pitches and teeing off in almost every inning, even when they didn’t score.

“Even our outs were hit hard,” Brininger said.

Smith averaged more than eight strikeouts per game, but she struck out only two in Friday’s semifinal. She surrendered 12 hits and five walks. Coach Tom Brininger

The Pirates opened the scoring with a three-run third. After Adams walked and Chelsey Miller reached on a dropped fly ball to right, Partlow laid down an RBI bunt single. Casey Bertke then drove in two more runs with a single.

The floodgates stayed open in a three-run fourth, and Cardington closed out the game in the fifth thanks to Adams’ two-run blast and a two-run double by Paige Clinger.

Bertke gave up three hits and no walks with two strikeouts in the win.

North Union ace Madison Wedding held top-seeded Champion scoreless for as long as she could, but a solo homer in the seventh and a solo shot in the eighth were enough for the Golden Flashes to win 2-1 in extra innings of a Division III state semifinal at Firestone Stadium.

“We shouldn’t have let two kids beat us, but overall, we played so hard, so strong, so tough, error-free,” North Union coach Dawn Draper said.

The Wildcats (25-3) and Golden Flashes were deadlocked at 0-0 until Champion’s Abby White broke the tie in the seventh with her first career home run — a two-out shot to left.

North Union’s home run leader, Avery Clark, tied it up and forced extra innings with a solo shot that bounced off the outstretched glove of center fielder Emma Gumont and plopped over the fence in deep left-center.

Allison Smith answered Clark’s home run in the eighth with the winning homer to center off Wedding.

Wedding (17-1) allowed two runs on five hits and finished with four strikeouts and no walks in a complete game.

“She had a crazy spin and great command of all her pitches,” Smith said.

Champion starter Sophie Howell struck out 17 of the 28 batters she faced. She scattered three hits with one walk.