Lady Monarch shortstop Avery Henry tries for the tag as Watkins Memorial’s Taylor Gerhardt goes around it for a stolen base. Marysville’s season came to an end with a 9-4 setback during the Division I regional semifinals at Centerburg High School.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Abby Christian of MHS watches the flight of her three-run homer against Watkins Memorial. The Lady Monarchs fell to the Warriors, 9-4, during the Division I regional semifinals.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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The Marysville High School softball team knew it would have to bring its “A” game to Centerburg High School against Watkins Memorial.
After all, the Warriors stood at 26-2 and were ranked third in the state coaches poll as they headed into the Division I regional semifinal game against MHS.
The Lady Monarchs, who finished the season rated as the eighth-best squad in the poll, didn’t measure up to the grade they needed as they fell 9-4 to the 2021 D-I state runners-up.
“We didn’t play Monarch softball,” said head coach Jennifer Segner-Maxwell. “You can’t give a great team like Watkins Memorial anything free.”
Although Marysville pitchers Abby Christian and Tareyn Born combined to give up only six hits to a potent Warrior lineup, it was the free distribution of bases that primarily led to the season-ending defeat.
Christian gave up four of the five walks given to Watkins Memorial.
The MHS defense also committed six errors.
What the Warriors did on offense did not come as a surprise.
“They did what we thought they’d do,” said Segner-Maxwell. “They are a very quick team and very aggressive on the base paths.”
That type of pressure running the bases led to numerous MHS fielding miscues.
Carsyn Cassidy, Watkins’ sophomore pitcher, yielded five hits and displayed a wide variety of pitches in limiting the Lady Monarchs to just five hits.
At times, her change-up and rise ball had Marysville off-balance.
Still, the Lady Monarchs were able to put the ball in play, but sent it right to a stiff defense.
Segner-Maxwell acknowledged her team was able to get the bats around on Cassidy.
“However, we got under the ball too many times and popped it up for outs,” she said.
Cassidy also had a bit of trouble with her control. She walked four, hit a batter and fanned only three.
The Warriors stranded one runner in the home half of the initial inning against Christian.
Trouble, however, began to brew for the Lady Monarchs during the second when the Licking County squad plated five runs.
McKayla Jellison led off with a base hit and Alyssa Haynes was issued a free pass.
A fielder’s choice put the runners at second and third, from where they scored on an MHS error.
Christian got the second out of the inning when she induced a fly ball out to Hannah Pack in left field.
The MHS junior walked another batter to put two runners on board.
At that point, Segner-Maxwell brought in Born, another junior righty, to the circle.
Watkins Memorial took a 3-0 lead on yet another Monarch fielding miscue.
Jordyn Wycuff then singled to elevate the Warriors’ advantage to 5-0.
Wycuff was tagged for the third out as she tried to stretch her single into a two-bagger.
The Lady Monarchs got back into the contest in the top of the third, thanks to Christian’s three-run bomb.
Haley Winans began the inning when she was plunked by a pitch.
She was replaced at first base by courtesy runner Sienna Hutchins.
Abri Schmutz lofted a ball to left field, where it landed a foot inside fair territory.
Cassidy struck out the next two Lady Monarchs before Christian strode to the plate.
Christian quickly whipped her bat around and made solid contact.
The sphere rose into the jet stream and cleared the fence for the three-run homer.
MHS cut its deficit to 5-3, but Cassidy coaxed a line drive out to conclude the inning.
The long ball again came into play during the fourth inning, but this time it was to the chagrin of Monarch Nation.
Christian returned to the circle and hit Taylor Gerhardt, who was the Warriors’ second batter.
Hannah Hunt worked a 2-0 count before depositing Christian’s next offering for a two-run dinger.
Christian ended the inning with a popup and strikeout.
At that point, however, the Lady Monarchs faced a 7-3 deficit.
Marysville tallied its final run of the 2022 campaign in the visitors’ portion of the fifth.
Cassidy went more to her changeup and fanned the first two MHS batters.
Abby Gindlesberger, Marysville’s lone senior, worked the count to 3-2 before earning a walk.
Hoping for more speed on the bases, Segner-Maxwell lifted Gindlesberger in favor of pinch-runner Brooke Williams.
The strategy worked as Williams sped all the way home on Born’s double.
Ashlynn McAdow entered the game as Born’s courtesy runner.
Cassidy, however, escaped further trouble when she induced a foul ball out.
Born walked a batter and the MHS defense committed another error during the home half of the fifth.
A 4-6-3 double play, however, got Marysville out of the jam.
Cassidy put MHS down without too much trouble, with just one walk, during the top of the sixth.
The Lady Monarch infield imploded during the bottom of the inning.
Marysville committed half of its six errors during that frame.
Those miscues helped the Warriors increase their advantage to 9-4.
Gindlesberger, during the final at-bat of her high school career, doubled with two down in the top half of the seventh.
A grounder, however, ended the game and MHS’ season with a record of 25-4.
MHS 003 010-4 5 6
WM 050 202 x-9 6 0
WP: Cassidy
LP: Christian