OHSAA softball: Jonathan Alder wins regional title, Watkins Memorial edges Lancaster
MASON — Jonathan Alder senior pitcher Marlee Jacobs didn’t let a rough moment get the better of her during a Division II regional final May 28 against Springfield Kenton Ridge.
The starting pitcher as a freshman when the Pioneers won the state championship and this season’s CBC Player of the Year, Jacobs allowed a two-run home run to the Cougars’ Natalie Fyffe that tied the game at 2 in the second inning.
She was tough the rest of the way, though, finishing with 12 strikeouts and driving in the go-ahead run in the fifth on her way to throwing a complete game in a 5-2 victory.
The Pioneers improved to 25-1 and advanced to a state semifinal against Oak Harbor at 12:30 p.m. June 2 at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
“We started out a little rough, but this team has really bonded together,” Jacobs said. “It’s a really special team to be going to state.”
Sophomore shortstop Evan Platfoot hit a two-run single with two outs in the sixth to complete the scoring for the Pioneers, who will be making their fifth appearance in the state tournament.
Platfoot finished with three hits and Jacobs and Kiersten Dolby added two hits apiece.
Pitcher Kylie Ropp gave up eight hits and struck out three over six innings for Kenton Ridge, which finished 19-10 and was looking for its first state berth since 2013.
The Jonathan Alder-Oak Harbor winner will play for the championship at 10 a.m. June 4 at Firestone Stadium.
“Marlee’s pitching was phenomenal in the circle,” coach Dave McGrew said. “She held them down. They got the two-run bomb early, but she was in control outside of that.”
—Jarrod Ulrey
Watkins Memorial 3, Lancaster 1
The matchup that everyone had anticipated all year between Lancaster, ranked No. 2 in the state, and No. 3-ranked Watkins Memorial lived up to its billing.
The Warriors set the tone early with back-to-back home runs from leadoff hitter Taylor Gerhardt and Hannah Hunt. From there, they rode the arm of sophomore Carsyn Cassady, keeping the Golden Gales off-balance in a 3-1 victory in a Division I regional final at Centerburg.
“When you come out and get two runs in the first inning, it just kind of sets the tone, and it puts all the pressure on the other team,” Watkins Memorial coach Mike Jellison said. “We felt like we had a little bit of an advantage because we have been in a lot of tough games and played an amazingly hard schedule to prepare for this situation. We just told our kids to play relaxed – it’s going to be a long ballgame – but we’ve been here before. But there is no doubt you couldn’t have scripted it any better to get off to that kind of start.”
The Warriors (28-2) will be making their second consecutive trip to the state tournament after finishing as runners-up in 2021. They will face Holland Springfield at 3 p.m. June 2 in Akron.
It marked the second year in a row the Warriors eliminated the Gales (25-2). A year ago, Watkins Memorial knocked them out in a regional semifinal.
“It was unreal, not only scoring two runs, but to have back-to-back home runs, I think that made a huge difference,” Cassady said. “We knew if we scored first, it would set the tone and put a little bit of doubt in their minds because we beat them last year. I think we had the upper hand on them because we have been here before and we have been in so many pressure situations. We were ready for the moment.”
Cassady wasn’t overpowering, as she gave up six hits, struck out five and walked four, but she was able to get out of several jams. The Gales left 10 nine runners on base.
“We talk a lot about how we have to come out and set the tone, and they had the energy and they obviously set the tone and we did not,” Lancaster coach Allie Kinniard said. “We have struggled with our hitting the last five or six games and we have worked a lot on our hitting the last couple of days. I thought it was going to make the difference, but we just couldn’t get it done.”
The Warriors took a 3-0 lead in the third when Lancaster starter Reese Poston walked the first two batters. After she was relieved by freshman Ashlin Mowery, Jordan Wycoff greeted her with an RBI single up the middle.
Lancaster cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fourth when Zhari Hill had a hit down the left-field line to score Jenna Spurling, who had singled. However, the Gales would strand two runners.
Poston led off the fifth with a double, but Cassady retired the side with three straight popups.
—Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle Gazette
Heath 12, New Concord John Glenn 5
Heath struck first in a Division II regional final against John Glenn at Pickerington Central and kept hitting.
Renae Cunningham and Shelby Moore each homered in the first inning.
Cunningham had a game to remember, homering again and also adding a triple and a double while driving in six. She also struck out 11 in five innings and Kyndall Spicer homered for the Bulldogs, who play Wooster Triway in a state semifinal at 10 a.m. June 2 in Akron.
—Kurt Snyder, Newark Advocate
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