Comets pursue perfection vs. top-seeded Bees

In a year laced with adversity, the culture at Amherst resulted in a seventh straight district final appearance.

In the Division I Avon Lake District final, the Comets square off against Brecksville-Broadview Heights, a team that’s dominated for the top seed. Amherst coach Lacey Reichert said her team has to play perfect to defeat a team of that caliber.

“We are going to have to do everything right (to beat Brecksville),” she said. “We are going to have to make routine plays. We are going to have to hit cutoffs, get bunts down, run the bases well. We are going to have to play perfect. They are a team that doesn’t let you get away with an error. They make you pay for it.”

The Bees and Comets played in the regular season, as Brecksville won, 6-2. According to Amherst outfielder Kristen Kelley, they’ve moved on from that loss.

“I feel like our defense and our team chemistry improved a lot,” she said. “We are putting the bat on the ball more; players at the end of the lineup are definitely getting more key hits for the top of the lineup. All of those components are really putting themselves together.”

In the loss to Brecksville, Amherst kept itself in striking distance to trail, 1-0, at the end of four innings, but the Bees scored five runs in the fifth to take a commanding lead. All it took was one poor inning and a costly error.

Amherst will see Brecksville standout pitcher Anna Wise inside the circle, who proved to be effective on both sides of the plate against North Olmsted. She hit 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Inside the circle, Wise throws a devastating fastball

and changeup to sabotage batters’ timing.

Over six innings pitched against the Eagles, Wise’s arsenal resulted in 12 strikeouts, three hits and three walks.

“Anna Wise is phenomenal inside the circle,” Reichert said. “We are going to have to kick, scratch and claw for every hit and run that we can get. We tell our girls that we are here for a reason. So let’s give them everything that we’ve got.”

In Amherst’s showdown against Brecksville, the Comets totaled three hits. Wise struck out 13 batters.

After the Comets’ back-toback losses to Avon, they’ve won four straight games. One of which was a 6-3 win over Berea-Midpark.

“The girls are having fun,” Reichert said. “If they don’t get the job done, they trust that their teammate is going to get the job done. That is huge. We have some great chemistry going on right now with our girls, and that’s on them. That’s built by the team and they have great senior leadership. It’s been a fun year (so far).”