By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
DEFIANCE (May 22, 2025) – When play resumed on Thursday in the Division IV softball district semifinal, Bryan pitcher Thea Staten was in a bases loaded jam.
Staten had walked the bases loaded on Tuesday in the rain before the game was suspended after just three batters.
In much drier conditions, Staten got an out at home on a squeeze play and two strikeouts to keep Lima Bath off the board before holding the Wildkittens hitless the rest of the day as Bryan blanked Lima Bath 9-0 to move into the district finals.
Bryan struck quickly, providing Staten with the only runs she would need, as Josey Arnold and Reese Ruffer had back-to-back doubles for a run and Averyann Fisher scored Ruffer with a single to make it 2-0.
Bryan added three more in the second with a two-out rally that began with another double by Ruffer to bring home Clare Stever who had walked to make it 3-0.
Thea Staten would then hit an RBI single to center and Amiyah Langham pounded a double to left to bring home Analicia McCoy Martinez, who entered the game as a courtesy runner for Staten, to push the lead to 5-0 after two innings.
Bryan added a run in the third on a bases loaded walk while Staten continued to dominate in the circle, including a stretch of 12 straight strikeouts.
Bryan added two more runs in the fifth thanks to an error and an RBI groundout by Langham and one in the sixth on an RBI ground out by Taylor Dominique for a 9-0 lead.
Staten closed out the game by striking out the side for the fourth time on the day in the seventh inning as she totaled 18 strikeouts in the game.
Ruffer collected three hits and three RBIs to pace Bryan at the plate.
Top seeded Bryan will face No. 3 St. Marys Memorial (14-6) for a trip to regionals on Saturday at noon back in Defiance.
LBHS 000 000 0 – 0 0 1
BHS 231 021 x – 9 11 0
Records: LBHS 8-14, BHS 15-4
WINNING PITCHER: Staten (7 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned, 4 walks, 18 strikeouts)
LOSING PITCHER: Edelbrock (2.1 innings, 9 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned, 2 walks, 1 strikeout) Other: Rex
LEADING HITTERS: (Bryan) McCoy-Martinez – double, 2 runs; Langham – double, 2 RBIs; Ruffer – 2 doubles, single, 3 RBIs, 3 runs; Arnold – double, 2 runs; Staten – single, 2 RBIs