The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Keystone’s Campbell pitches like seasoned vet
TIFFIN >> She had no nerves in a regional final.
And why should she? She’s pitched with more pressure before. And here’s the kicker. Keystone’s Sydney Campbell is only a sophomore.
Campbell delivered a gem in a Division II Tiffin Region final against Oak Harbor on May 27, holding the normally potent Rockets offense to three hits in a complete-game shutout while facing five batters over the minimum.
“I just try and make the best of every opportunity,” Campbell, who increased her record to 13-2, said.
Campbell definitely made the most of this opportunity.
She kept the Oak Harbor hitters off-balance all day with a mix of pitches, not allowing a hit until the
third inning against a team that has scored 40 runs in its previous four postseason games.
“I’ve worked all year on what pitches I need to
throw and where my locations need to be,” Campbell said. “I think I was really prepared for today.”
Wildcats coach Jim Piazza said he had no issue
using Campbell in the regional final because she had faced a harder task last year.
“Sydney grew up really fast last year in the state championship game,” Piazza said. “What we told her going into today is that this ain’t nothing compared to what she did last year.”
Leaning on the experience gained during the state final is what Campbell believed kept her in control of the regional final. “I was really prepared for the game today just because I knew the pressure from last year,” Campbell said. “I was ready. That experience last year was something that has set me up for success.”
And when she got into trouble, such as when Oak Harbor had runners on second and third with two down in the sixth inning, Campbell said she knew her defense would pick her up — just another reason she could keep calm.
“I knew that as long as I threw strikes, the defense would have my back,” Campbell said. “I knew they would get outs and that they would make the plays that they needed to.
“Having a great defense behind me is great. It takes a lot of pressure off of me and allows me to just focus on the pitching.”
Her calm demeanor was something that Keystone freshman Marlie McNulty said was infectious, allowing her to remain calm with a state berth on the line.
“When Sydney pitches well, we play well,” McNulty said. “We take cues from her. Seeing her so calm in a big game like this, it really helped me stay calm and know that if she could come out and play so hard, so could I.”
And, with another solid performance in a pressure-filled situation under her belt, Campbell said she plans to keep the momentum going.
“I’m so excited to be heading back to Akron,” Campbell said. “We’ve worked for this all year and we don’t