Cards, ‘Cats fall in district semis
WAPAKONETA — Fort Recovery lived up to its name.
In a game that swung back and forth, the Lady Indians came from down a run late to tie it, and went on to win 8-6 in eight innings in a Division IV softball district semifinal game.
Fort Recovery improves to 13-8 and will face Lincolnview in the district final on Friday.
Minster’s season ends with a record of 18-7.
Starter Mikaela Hoskins pitched two innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Kaycie Albers worked part of the third, getting two outs. She allowed two runs on three hits.
Brooklyn Osterloh got the final out of the third then pitched most of the rest, working 4 1/3. Osterloh allowed three runs by Fort Recovery. She gave up four hits. The final hurler was Gabrielle Wehrman, who allowed the final run, with two hits.
The four pitchers had four strikeouts and two walks combined.
Jackie Homan threw six innings for the Indians,
allowing six runs on 14 hits. Sophie Pearson got three strikeouts in the seventh, then held Minster to a hit and walk in the eighth to get the win.
Savanah Bergman, Addi Inskeep, Hoskins and Hannah Oldiges all had three hits each for Minster.
Hoskins, who also walked twice, drove in four runs, with one RBI each by Albers and
Emma Linn.
Minster manager Robb Hemmelgarn said, “We didn’t execute when we needed to,” noting that you can’t give a team like Fort Recovery extra chances.
He said that the team is experienced but still young, as they will lose only one main starter to graduation. “We’ll bounce back next season,” Hemmelgarn said.
After holding Fort
Recovery scoreless in its first at-bat, Bergman singled to right with one out in the bottom. Addi Inskeep drove a pitch past the shortstop. Bergman advanced to third as the ball got away from the infielders.
After Inskeep stole second, both runners came in when Hoskins ripped a shot down the first-base line. Fort Recovery got out of the inning without further
damage.
Maddie Guggenbiller led off the second and took Hoskins deep to center on a 2-0 count. Two batters later, Ella Schoen doubled into the right-center gap and Cali Wendel knocked a bloop single to shallow left, and Schoen moved to third. A passed ball saw both take off. Schoen scored, with Wendel tagged out at third.
Minster got a couple hits, but did not score in the bottom of the second.
In the third, Albers took over in the pitching circle and faced the top of the order. Emma Will singled to center, then Chloey Grisez reached on a ball knocked down at shortstop. A ground ball to third by Pearson resulted in Will being called out for interference. Homan was struck by a pitch to load the bases, then replaced with Audra Bubp as a courtesy runner.
Guggenbiller drove a ball that went off Albers’ glove and scored two of the three runners.
Brooklyn Osterloh was moved to the pitcher’s spot. Kensey Gaerke popped up a bunt that Albers caught. She then fired to first for an inning-ending double play.
Hoskins singled to the left side in the home half. After a flyout to left, she and Albers were put out on a 6-4-3 double play.
In the fourth, Wendel got a walk with one down.
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