PLAYING THE POSITION … Hilltop pitcher Kelsy Connolly comes out of the circle to field a bunt.
PHOTOS BY REBEKAH DELL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
BASE HIT … Hilltop’s Halle Jones drives a pitch to left field during last Saturday’s district final in Defiance. VIEW 98 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
By: Mario Gomez
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
DEFIANCE (May 23, 2026) – Mother nature did not care that a pair of the best small school softball teams in Northwest Ohio were playing for a district championship.
It was a cold and wet Saturday afternoon in this battle between Ayersville and Hilltop. Both teams had to deal with the weather so there was nothing unfair only that the fans had to sit in some light rain.
But those fans were treated to a great contest. What started as a pitcher’s duel ended with a walk-off grand slam to decide the winner as Ayersville knocked off Hilltop 6-2 to capture a Division VII championship.
“I was hoping for a walk-off moment for these girls,” said Ayersville head coach Aubrey Like. “I love to see them succeed. I preach adjust. I don’t expect perfection from the get-go but I want to see you adjust and they did that today.”
“Hilltop is a good team. They are well coached. They know where to throw the ball and when. The girls I feel adjusted.”
“They are a good team,” said Hilltop head coach Tom Schaper. I don’t think I could have played it much differently that what we did.
“I always say when you get into tournament play it takes luck. Today the luck wasn’t with us.”
Ayersville (20-2) moves on to a regional semifinal to face fellow Green Meadows Conference foe Edgerton while Hilltop ends their season with a record of 22-5.
Hilltop had the first at bats of the contest and faced off against Kendra Waldron who had an impressive resume pitching for the Pilots.
Halle Jones led off the game with an 8-pitch walk and moved on to second with a stolen base. Waldron shook off the walk and calmly proceeded to strike out the next three Cadet batters to get out of the inning.
Hilltop’s ace, Kelsy Connolly, was equally impressive in the first. Waldron, leading off for Ayersville, hit a shot that dropped right in front of the centerfielder Sophia Crossgrove for a leadoff hit.
But not to be outdone, Connolly equaled her counterpart’s feat, striking out the next three Pilot hitters to end the first inning.
Over the course of the next three innings each team had to endure the others pitching strength as Waldron and Connolly dominated the field combining to record 17 of the 24 outs by strikeout through the first four innings.
It was just a matter of time before someone was going to break through and in the bottom of the fifth, Ayersville was that team.
Aubree Limber had a nine-pitch battle with Connolly before working a walk to start the inning.
Connolly struck out Kali Gorrell and Ava Sigler but on the Sigler strikeout a wild pitch allowed Limber to move to second base with Waldron up to bat.
Hilltop decided to intentionally walk Waldron to bring Makayla Laker-Sierra to the plate. On the first pitch, Laker-Sierra slapped a line drive to left-center field that dropped.
Limber scored from second to score the first run of the game. Waldron got to third and Laker-Sierra was safe at second with a double.
Aeriel Brown hit a slow roller to the shortstop Jones and was able to leg out the throw to first base for the infield single that scored Waldron for a 2-0 Ayersville lead.
Anyone who thought the Cadets would sink was terribly mistaken. In the top of the sixth, Jones singled to open the inning and Kenley Routt reached on a walk to put a runner in scoring position.
After another Waldron strikeout, Connolly helped out her own cause by hitting a single to center that scored Jones but the throw came all the way home and got away from the catcher Dani Coble allowing Routt to come home and score the tying run.
Ayersville got their leadoff hitter on to start the bottom of the sixth but she was stranded after Connolly got a strikeout, pop out and fly out to go to the seventh with the game tied at 2.
Waldron looked strong in the top of the seventh getting two strikeouts and a lineout to second base to set the stage for the dramatic finish.
Ava Sigler started the inning with a shot to centerfield over the outstretched arm of Crossgrove for a double. Waldron was on deck and was intentionally walked.
Laker-Sierra came up and laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners up.
Brown had an 11-pitch battle with Connolly that ended with a hit to Brooklyn Kuszmaul who held Sigler at third and allowed Brown to reach first for an infield single to load the bases.
Danni Coble, who was 0-2 on the afternoon, stepped into the box for Ayersville and was quickly behind on the count 0-2.
On the next pitch, Coble got bat on ball to hit a long drive to center that cleared the fence for the grand slam and the win for the Pilots.
“We couldn’t have been in a better position,” said Like. Danni being up with bases loaded; I couldn’t pick a better kid to be up in that moment.”
“I’m so proud of my girls,” said Schaper. I thought we played real well to stay in it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of coming away from this game.”
HHS 000 002 0 – 2 3 0
AHS 000 020 4 – 6 8 0
WP – Kendra Waldron (IP-7, H-3, R-2, BB-2, K-16)
LP – Kelsy Connolly (IP-6.1, H-8, R-6, BB-4, K-11)
LEADING HITTERS: (Hilltop) Kelsy Connolly – single, 2 RBIs; (Ayersville) Kendra Waldron – single, double; Aeriel Brown – 2 singles, RBI; Ava Sigler – double; Danni Coble – grand slam, 4 RBIs.
