HEADS-UP PLAY … Archbold second baseman Madi Bowers flips the ball with her glove to first base for the out during the Bluestreaks’ 5-1 regional semifinal loss to Liberty Union.
PHOTOS BY MARIO GOMEZ / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
THIEL GOES YARD … Makena Thiel belts a solo home run over the center field fence to give Archbold a 1-0 lead in the Division V regional semifinal. VIEW 108 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Mario Gomez
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
HARROD (May 27, 2026) – The Division V regional semifinal contest between Archbold and Liberty Union was one of those games that you felt sad to see come to an end with someone being on the losing end.
For Archbold it was a tall task in taking on the division’s number one ranked team who came in having tasted defeat just once.
For seven innings, with the game knotted at one, both fan bases were treated to a little free softball.
In the bottom of the 10th inning the Lions flexed their muscles and used a Ryleigh Brown grand slam home run to take a 5-1 win, advance to a regional final and end the Archbold season.
“It’s disappointing in the way that it ended but I’m really proud of the way we competed,” said Archbold head coach Sarah Dominique.
“We stuck our nose in with one of the best teams in the state and competed with them for 10 innings.
“We talked in the seventh or eighth inning that this is going to be a heartbreaker for someone. We were hoping it wouldn’t be us. Sometimes that’s just how it goes.”
Adi Kinsman got to first base after being hit by pitcher Eden Wilson. Makena Thiel tried to bunt Kinsman over but fouled off a pair of attempts.
Instead, Kinsman got to second the old fashioned way, swiping second to get into scoring position. A passed ball gave Kinsman the green light to try to steal third but catcher Emilyn Kanet threw a strike to Brown at third to get Kinsman for the first out.
Wilson got Thiel to watch a called third strike then got Meg Ames to go down swinging to end the inning. In the bottom of the Lions first inning, Haeden Brunty reached on a double to center with one out.
Thiel, pitching for the first time in two weeks, got the next two batters on ground ball outs to end the first.
Archbold had a good opportunity in the second with two outs. Madi Bowers walked and got to second on a Daylin Bosco single to center but Wilson got Raegan Gerken to pop out in foul territory to end the threat.
Thiel did it on the mound in the bottom of the second, getting a groundout and striking out two and then did it at the plate in the top of the third.
With two outs, Thiel came to bat and battled Wilson to a 3-2 count. The senior Bluestreaks pitcher took the seventh pitch of the at bat and connected for a long drive to center that went over the fence for a 1-0 Archbold lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Thiel went right back to work. After walking the first batter, Thiel got a strikeout and two fly ball outs to keep the Streaks in the lead, 1-0.
Charlee Forward opened the fourth with a single to center. Bowers sacrificed to move Forward to second but Klaire Kern popped out in foul territory for the second out.
Bosco walked to put runners on first and second with Gerken up to bat. Alexis McCoy, the shortstop, fielded a grounder by Gerken and threw to the only base she could to get Forward out on a close play for the third out.
Liberty Union put a run on the board to start the bottom of the fourth after Suzie Schultz smacked a long ball over the center field fence to tie the game at 1.
Wilson came up and hit a double to keep the Lions momentum going. Thiel came back and struck out the side to strand the go-ahead run on second.
From the start of the fifth inning, chances became slim for both teams to get the go-ahead run. Liberty Union brought in their big strikeout pitcher Schultz and she stymied the Streaks throughout the remainder of the contest holding them hitless.
Meanwhile, Thiel kept dealing pitch after pitch giving up a few hits but using her defense behind her to keep any scoring threat from ending the game.
“She [Thiel] did such a great job,” said Dominique. “She’s such a competitor. She stuck her nose in there and did a great job.
“We weren’t sure how things were going to go. We were prepared to use both pitchers [Bowers].”
The teams played a scoreless seventh inning, sending the game to extra innings. Schultz kept the Streaks off balance and Thiel kept the Lions frustrated for the next three innings.
In the tenth, Schultz put Archbold down in order to move to the bottom of the inning. McCoy came up and hit a pop fly to second base but Bowers, fighting the sun, misplayed the ball and it popped out of her glove.
McCoy got all the way to second base to give the Lions a legitimate scoring chance. Brunty laid down a sacrifice bunt to move McCoy to third with one out.
With first and second base open, Archbold chose to load the bases by walking Schultz and Wilson and hope to get the force out at home.
Brown came to the plate and, on the first pitch, connected solidly to send the ball over the right-centerfield fence to send the Liberty Union faithful into a frenzy with the grand slam home run for the win to advance to the regional final.
AHS 001 000 000 0 – 1 3 1
LUHS 000 100 000 4 – 5 6 0
WP- Suzie Schultz (IP-6, R-0, H-0, K-11, BB-0)
LP- Makena Thiel (IP-9.1, R-5, H-6, K-12, BB-6)
LEADING HITTERS: (Archbold) Makena Thiel – home run; (Liberty Union) Ryleigh Brown – grand slam, 4 RBI; Suzie Schultz – home run; Eden Wilson – 2 doubles