Slug is part of her game: Oak Harbor's Porter Gregory the epitome of a hitter

"Slug is part of my game."

That's what Shohei Ohtani told a reporter after hitting two mammoth home runs in a Los Angeles Dodgers victory. No interpretation necessary, it's plain to see the translation.

Oak Harbor's Porter Gregory has 46 hits, 11 doubles, two triples and two home runs in 22 games. Slug is part of her game.

She bats .561, drove in 29 runs, reaches base nearly 60% of the time and slugs .817. And by the way, her fielding percentage is unblemished at first base.

Softball is a sport where you can do great and fail. Gregory used to act like it was her fault when she hit a missile right into a glove.

"I had to be the best," she said.

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Now, she realizes the game gets the better of you at times.

"It's not necessarily do good, it's just do it," the senior said. "It doesn't have to be a home run every at-bat. See the ball, hit the ball. There's less pressure. Responding to an error, or being out."

She's learned sometimes your run-scoring moments are spread out. And she's having fun with it.

She trains hitting at RedShed in Fremont. Trent Logan insisted she read, "The mental state of the game."

One would think two home runs in one game would be a career outlier. She hammered two home runs as the Rockets topped Notre Dame Academy in the final of the Croll Tournament last month.

"I've done it before," Gregory said. "It always feels good, especially when you're not trying to. I don't try to hit a home run."

She hit two home runs, in the same inning, in a win over Willard as a freshman. She added one more that season.

"Back then, I was trying to hit home runs, and I struggled," she said. "They come when you don't expect it."

She clobbered two home runs in a win over Northwood among five home runs as a sophomore. She hit two as a junior.

Oak Harbor (20-2, 10-1), with one loss to Otsego, has a two-game lead over Eastwood, Maumee and the Knights in the Northern Buckeye Conference standings.

Senior Alyse Sorg returned as pitcher and has a knack for limiting damage with a 2.58 ERA. She scored 40 runs and tripled five times leading off at the plate.

"She hits spots," Gregory said. "Her offspeed is better. She always finds a way out of an inning."

Sophomores Tatum Baumgartner and Karder Haas also have two home runs apiece. Haas walked Oak Harbor off with a home run against Ashland Crestview.

Senior Reese Adkins scored 38 runs and drove in 33. Left fielder Morgan LaLonde and second baseman Myley Sandwisch are key contributors as freshmen, including a home run for Sandwisch against Rossford.

"You can say that stats show the stars, but it's everybody," Gregory said. "We pick each other up. We have good defense; our hitting is even better."

Even with perspective, it's bittersweet to be a senior.

"You want to finish strong," Gregory said. "You want to be happy how it went. I try to stay positive so I don't regret anything."

The Rockets advanced to a district semifinal last year and three years ago. They lost in a state semifinal the season in between.

"After last year, we lost in extra innings," Gregory said. "We had a bad inning on defense. We're addiment to make it past district. Don't get ahead of ourselves. We went to state and then didn't get out of district. Coach Cami (Haas) always says, 'One game at a time and find a way to win.'"

Gregory took a step back. Now, everything is a step forward, one load and launch at a time. Swing decisions and barrels, who cares about outs?

She understands how it works and takes a fresh attitude to continue her career at Walsh University. Or maybe, it's what led her to Walsh.

"Finding Walsh was kind of like the home run thing," she said. "I didn't expect it. I struggled with the recruiting process. At one point, I went to every camp I could find. I went to Walsh on a Sunday. A few weeks later I had a visit.

"'This is where I want to play.' The coaches and players made me so comfortable. It felt right. My mom noticed I was laid back."

mhorn@gannett.com

419-307-4892

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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Slug is part of her game: Oak Harbor's Porter Gregory the epitome of a hitter