PHOTOS BY RENEA KESSLER & JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
EARLY LEAD … Averyann Fisher lifts an RBI double in the first inning to give Bryan a 1-0 lead. VIEW 439 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
STEALING SECOND … Amiyah Langham goes to apply the tag as Licking Valley’s Trinity Moorehead steals second base.
STRETCHING FOR THE OUT … Bryan first baseman Karli McDade stretches to grab a throw for the out.
By: Nate Calvin
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
sports@thevillagereporter.com
AKRON (June 5, 2026) — In a matchup of undefeated teams and premier pitchers, the Division IV state semifinal figured to be decided by a team capitalizing on a mistake.
That’s what Licking Valley (27-0) did in the seventh inning as they manufactured the game-winning run after a hit batter to beat Bryan 2-1, handing the Golden Bears their first loss of the season.
It was a Licking Valley error that led to the only Bryan run of the night in the first inning. Bryan pitcher Thea Staten reached base on an error with two outs during the Bears’ first time at the plate.
Averyann Fisher followed by lacing a double to right-center past a diving center fielder as Ana McCoy-Martinez, who entered the game as a courtesy runner for Staten, came around from first to score, making it 1-0.
Bryan threatened in the third as Amiyah Langham and Josey Arnold each singled with one out.
The inning ended, though, with Staten lining an 0-2 pitch back to Panther pitcher Emory Whisner, who threw to second base to double off Langham to end the frame.
Licking Valley would tie the game in the fourth with a clutch two-out hit. Tori Baughman started the inning with a single to left, the first Panther hit of the night.
After the next two batters were retired by Staten and Baughman had moved to second on a wild pitch, Dani Lambert drove a pitch to the wall in left for a double, scoring Baughman to tie the game.
Bad luck on the base paths would strike Bryan again in the sixth inning. Arnold dropped a perfectly placed hit down the left-field line with one out to reach base for the second time.
The inning ended with a Staten line drive that was gloved by Abby Kochur at third, and she fired to first to double off Arnold.
It was the Panthers taking advantage of Bryan’s mistakes to seize the lead in the seventh. Kochur was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning, and Trinity Moorehead, running for Kochur, stole second to get into scoring position.
Staten induced a groundout to shortstop by Emma Flowers for the second out of the inning to momentarily keep Moorehead at second.
Moorehead eventually moved to third on a passed ball, and DNeya Dennis smacked a single to left to score Moorehead and give Licking Valley a 2-1 lead.
Bryan would get the leadoff hitter on base to begin their final at-bat as Fisher walked and then took second on a sacrifice bunt by Karli McDade.
Whisner then recorded her 11th strikeout of the game for the second out of the frame as Reese Ruffer was caught looking.
Gisele Kidston would pinch-hit for Jozie Cordy, and her bunt, with the Panthers’ infield playing back, was fielded by Whisner, who tossed to first to end the game.
“We were just waiting for that breakthrough moment, and normally, that happens for us,” Bryan coach Hilary Staten said following the loss.
“It doesn’t matter where we are in the lineup. There’s that one breakthrough hit, and we can feed off of that and bring the energy and momentum from that.
“Unfortunately, today, that wasn’t the way it was drawn up, and we just weren’t able to pull through in that moment or any of those times.”
Staten, who was named the Gatorade Ohio Softball Player of the Year earlier in the day, ended up with 12 strikeouts on the night with three walks while surrendering two runs on three hits.
Arnold topped Bryan (23-1) at the plate with her two singles.
“There are no hard feelings,” Hilary Staten said. “We gave it everything we had, and we can’t look back and be sorrowful for that. It was all we had, and we laid it on the line.
“I was super proud of the girls for stepping up and just giving it everything we had, and we fell short, and we’ll pick up the pieces from there and move forward.”
LVHS 000 100 1 – 2 3 1
BHS 100 000 0 – 1 4 0
WP- Emory Whisner (IP-7, R-1, H-4, K-11, BB-1)
LP- Thea Staten (IP-7, R-2, H-3, K-12, BB-3)
LEADING HITTERS: (Licking Valley) Dani Lambert – double, RBI. (Bryan) Averyann Fisher – double, RBI; Josey Arnold – 2 singles