(PHOTO PROVIDED)
By: Nate Calvin
LIMA (MAY 20, 2023) – After a 2.5 hour delay so crews at UNOH could get the field ready to play following Friday night’s rain, Bryan used the same script as their two previous tournament games.
Timely hitting and the dominant pitching of freshman Thea Staten was the recipe for a 6-0 win in the district finals to give Bryan a return trip to the regionals.
Bryan squandered a scoring opportunity in the first inning after loading the bases with no outs.
Bath pitcher Madi Elderbrock would get back-to-back force outs at home on ground balls and a strikeout to escape the inning with no damage done.
Bryan would get their first timely hit in the second inning as Ella Voigt delivered a two-out single to score Mackenzie Blevins from third and give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
Singles from Caitlynn DeWitt and Josey Arnold opened the third inning before Blevins this time provided the RBI with a sacrifice fly to right for a 2-0 Bryan advantage.
Bryan used three singles and a dropped fly ball by Bath to engineer a run in the fourth inning before taking control of the game in the fifth.
The top of the fifth saw the Wildkittens best scoring chance of the day as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Staten would get Elena Oliver to popout to end the frame.
After a Thiel flyout started the inning, it was Blevins with her second hit of the night, and Tabithah Taylor sacrificed pinch runner Teaghan Blad to second for the second out of the inning.
Reese Grothaus then reached after being hit by a pitch and Voigt singled for the third time, driving in Blad to make it 4-0.
An infield single by Marlee Yoder then loaded the bases leading to a Staten single to center to knock in two runs as the lead grew to 6-0 with Yoder being thrown out at third base on Staten’s hit to end the inning.
Rachel Clark would get her second hit of the game in the seventh inning for Bath with one out but a force out and strikeout, Staten’s 13th of the day, closed out the win.
Yoder topped the 13-hit Bryan attack with four singles while Voigt had three singles and batted in two runs.
Staten has now pitched 19 innings in the postseason without allowing a run, striking out 35, and surrendering just six hits.
Bryan will now face the Tallmadge Blue Devils (20-8) in the Division II regional semifinals at New Riegel on Wednesday, May 24 at 5pm.
LIMA BATH 000 000 0 – 0 4 2
BRYAN 011 130 x – 6 13 1
Records: Bath 11-15, Bryan 23-1
WINNING PITCHER: Staten (7 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 13 strikeouts, 2 walks)
LOSING PITCHER: (6 innings, 13 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks)
LEADING HITTERS: (Bath) Clark – 2 singles; (Bryan) Voigt – 3 singles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Yoder – 4 singles; Staten – single, 2 RBIs; Blevins – 2 singles, RBI
Nate can be reached at sports@thevillagereporter.com