Panthers face harsh lesson in loss to Bucks

THE SCORE (MARCH 25)

Elyria Catholic losing big in a season opener is nothing new to the defending two-time Great Lakes Conference champions.

On the Panthers’ way to a Division II district final appearance in 2023, they were run-ruled by Holy Name in the season opener. March 25, they met a humbling 11-1 defeat to Medina Buckeye.

“Being the two-time (Great Lakes Conference) out here, we are going to make sure that these young ladies continue to compete. It happened last year,” Elyria Catholic coach Terrel Dixon said. “Unfortunately, we got run-ruled last year by Holy Name and we bounced back. I didn’t want it to happen, but it’s a wakeup call to these girls. They understand that they have to come out here and play every single day.”

Buckeye was a formidable foe that alternated pitchers Olivia Matras and Lilly Young after the first three innings. The switch was made after an RBI single from Jessica Conners in the third inning that evened the score after Buckeye scored on a fielder’s choice in the top of the third.

Matras gave up one hit and struck out three, as Young struck out eight over four innings. She also gave up three hits and three walks.

“(Matras) spun it well. She didn’t throw with as much velocity as the second one,” Dixon said. “We had more trouble with the first pitcher than the second pitcher. … We adjusted to her faster than we adjusted to the first kid in my opinion. (Young) settled in, and we couldn’t make an adjustment to her adjustment.”

Elyria Catholic was without its ace, Harper Morgan, due to injury, which put freshman Kailey Tomasch inside the circle in her career debut. Buckeye went scoreless in the first two innings, but

Medina Buckeye 11, Elyria Catholic 1

broke through in the third inning. The Bucks turned the tide to snowball 11 hits.

“Today, (Buckeye’s) bats were hot. … They made their adjustment faster than we did, and they were able to play sound defense,” Dixon said. “We put the ball in play when it was late, we didn’t get any timely hits and we had some mistakes and errors that cost us. We have a lot of things that we have to clean up, but everything that happened today is something that can be worked on and corrected.”

Once Buckeye went around the batting order, it adjusted to Elyria Catholic’s pitching, which resulted in Madison Lichty’s home run in the first at-bat in the fourth inning.

“The first time around, we couldn’t see the ball really well. One thing this team does really well is communicate with each other,” Lichty said. “After that first time, we realized that (Tomasch) has a rise ball and curveball. We are staying up and in on the plate and we are hitting that (ball) out of the yard. That is exactly what we did. Me and Sarah (Michales) really got a hold of that ball.”

Michaels hit a two-RBI home run in the following inning for a 4-1 lead. Lichty and Michaels both recorded three RBI. Cassy Minarchick had two from three hits.

“I think (my home run) lifted some weight off of our shoulders. Going into this game, I could tell you that everybody was nervous and all jittery,” Lichty said. “We were not really ready for the first game. As soon as I hit that ball. Not to toot my own horn, I felt like it got some pressure off of everybody’s shoulders.”

Conners’ two hits led Elyria Catholic’s offense. The Panthers fell to 0-1 and Buckeye improved to 1-0. Their next game will be on March 28, as they host Mapleton.