Unioto softball overruns Adena, takes control of first place in Scioto Valley Conference

CHILLICOTHE − Consider Unioto's curse lifted.

The Shermans have been able to check off plenty of accomplishments as a squad over the past four years. Ten of their players are seniors, and all 10 have played a vital role in that success over that span. But one feat eluded the Shermans' seniors until Monday afternoon − revenge against Adena.

They'd beaten the Warriors before, sure, but the two teams' matchup last year left a sour taste in the Shermans' mouths. They'd missed out on a Scioto Valley Conference title after falling to the Warriors in Frankfort, and that memory loomed large heading into Monday.

Now, that memory can be put to rest. Unioto shook its curse and rode out to a 6-2 win over Adena at Adena Softball Field on Monday.

"It's great," Unioto first baseman Ava Dettwiller said. "I've wanted to do this through all of high school. We've been almost there a couple of times, but we pulled it off today."

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Dettwiller played no small part in the Shermans' win. She found base in each of her four at-bats, and she brought home the first three runs of the game with a three-run double in her first plate appearance. Dettwiller ended the game 2-for-2 with two walks, a double and four RBIs.

Although she was the catalyst, Dettwiller wasn't the only Unioto player finding base with ease. Unioto pounded out 11 hits throughout the game and led by five runs by the middle of the second inning. After Dettwiller broke the first inning open, Halle Uhrig and Amaris Betts scored on a throwing error. Unioto didn't slow down until the third inning after Dettwiller brought home Haylee Hull on a single.

Adena, on the other hand, struggled to find home. Getting on base early was no problem − Adena loaded the bases in the first and at least half its lineup came to bat in three separate innings. But the hits didn't follow. It notched just five hits off Unioto pitcher Hannah Hull, who struck out four and stuck out all seven innings in the circle.

"The first two innings absolutely killed us," Adena coach Brad Jadwin said. "We had a 32-inning streak of no runs, and we had maybe three errors total for the year, and we had more than that tonight. Sometimes, games like this tense you up a little bit and play a little different ... We left too many runners on base tonight in critical moments. We have to execute; we didn't execute tonight."

The Warriors found a groove late. Emma Garrison and Hailey Howard each scored after a quick rally in the bottom of the sixth, and Sophie Cheesebrew hit a single that drove Garrison home. But it didn't last. A fly out to left field and a strikeout cut the Warriors off in the sixth, and a tag out at third base in the seventh inning cut the Warriors' potential comeback short.

Unioto is king of the hill after Monday, literally. It stands alone as the lone undefeated team in the Scioto Valley Conference standings, and it managed to take revenge against Adena. There's still plenty left in the regular season, but Unioto coach Rob Hull is taking each win as it comes. Hull has seen the work his players have put in this year, and he believes Monday is a sure sign that it's paying off.

"These girls have worked their butts off all season long, last year going into this year," Hull said. "They're proving themselves all over again to everybody, and that's the kind of way we want it. We're taking one game at a time. And we know coming over here it's going to be a tough atmosphere to play in, but for what they did, they hung in there, and they battled."

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Unioto softball overruns Adena, takes control of first place in Scioto Valley Conference