STATE SOFTBALL Lebanon 1 win from glory
Warriors dismiss Elyria, will face North Canton Hoover for D-I title.
AKRON —
Lebanon senior Ana Walter could see the nerves in pregame.
Walter watched as the jitters crept out during the same routine the squad had done 31 times before its Division I state softball semifinal against Elyria at Akron Firestone Stadium.
Of course, being stuck in a hotel all day watching the rain come and go, getting reports of the tarp being on and then being off and their 5:30 p.m. game getting moved back to 7:30 all added to the experience.
“There were definitely some nerves going on there,” Walter said after the Warriors earned a showdown with defending state champ North Canton Hoover at 7 p.m. today for the state title with a 3-1 win. “I felt jittery standing in the box, but once I got the first hit, I knew it was just like any other game.”
After four scoreless innings, the Warriors (31-1) caught the first break. Savannah Scott recorded a one-out single and moved to second on a bunt by Tara Trainer. Sadie Creech slapped one toward short, and as Scott held up to let the ball past, it rolled through the Elyria shortstop’s legs and into rightcenter, allowing Scott to score for a 1-0 lead.
“Once that play happened at shortstop, we started to question ourselves and that shouldn’t happen,” Elyria coach Ken Fenik said after his squad finished 26-3. “They (Lebanon) are a great team. That was a huge play and the momentum changed right there.”
Sam Showalter followed the run by Scott with a single to score Creech and the Warriors had crafted a 2-0 lead.
“My teammates kept telling me I had it,” Showalter said after not reaching in her first two at-bats. “I guess the third time is a charm. I just pictured hitting a line drive and it happened.”
Elyria was able to scratch a run across the plate in the bottom of the fifth, but it was the lone threat against Trainer, who struck out 11 and allowed three hits and one walk.
Lebanon added an insurance run in the sixth when Kaitlyn Bergman walked and eventually scored on an error by the Elyria shortstop off a ball hit by Scott.
“I just went up there and relaxed,” Scott said after reaching base all three at-bats. “The pressure was building and I just relaxed and tried to hit the ball.”
The state title game will pit the two top-ranked teams in the coaches poll, with Hoover coming in as the No. 1 team. For one night, Lebanon coach Brian Kindell was going to let the players enjoy their victory.
“They are a very, very good team,” Kindell said. “We are going to enjoy tonight and wake up tomorrow and focus in.”