Shelby advances with 10-1 triumph
Daily Globe Sports Editor
Shelby extended its softball postseason Tuesday by downing Vermilion 10-1 during a Division II Sectional semifinal game.
The Lady Whippets, who are 10-15 on the season, hit the road Friday for a 5 p.m. clash second-seeded Bellevue. This will be the second meeting between the former foes in the Northern Ohio League and Sandusky Bay Conference. The Lady Red were an 8-3 winner back on Apr. 26.
“Making all the routine plays and making some extra ones — some really good plays in tough situations — was the key,” said firstyear coach Samantha Martin. “They had bases loaded to begin the game and we had each other’s back and were able to work out of it.”
The visitors loaded the sacks with one out in the top of the first before the red and gray worked out of trouble with a strikeout by Megan Grass and a fly ball caught by Kendal Parsons ended the threat.
SHS never trailed against the Sailors and grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the opening stanza when Sadie Smith led off with a single and would later score on a basehit by Lexi Thompson.
Shelby broke things open in the home half of the second with run-scoring hits by Mallary Gundrum and Lexi Thompson. Kaitlynn Winters hit into fielder’s choice and two more runs scored to make it 5-0.
Vermilion picked up its only run in the third to make it 5-1 and the
Whippets added two in the fourth and three in the sixth.
Thompson was 3-for3 hitting with three RBI. Kendal Parsons also had three hits and one was a double for the red and gray. Alyssa Neill drove in four runs with a home run and a single. Mallary Gundrum had a pair of safeties.
SHS outhit the Sailors 15-11. Also getting hits were Smith, Raegan Gurney, Winters, Megan Grass and Demi Hipp.
Grass pitched all seven innings for Shelby. She struck out five and walked one.
Wednesday the Whippets are home to face Clear Fork in a Mid Ohio Athletic Conference game. Because of an early print deadline, the results of that game will appear in Friday’s paper and online at www.sdgnewsgroup. com.