Jonathan Alder’s Abby Bush (6) slides safely into third base Friday evening. Also pictured is North Union’s Ryleigh Rasey. The Lady Pioneers won, 10-6.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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The past few softball games between Jonathan Alder and North Union have been grind ‘em out, see-who-can-outlast-the other type of contests.
For example, the Lady Pioneers withstood NU last year and came out on top of a 21-20 verdict.
Friday evening’s contest was basically the same type of battle (although lower scoring) as Jonathan Alder walked off its home diamond with a 10-6 triumph.
“It seems whenever we play North Union, it ends up in a dog fight,” said JA coach Dave McGrew, whose team improved to 12-2 overall and 9-0 in the Central Buckeye Conference. “It was a hard-fought game.”
The Lady Cats (7-7 overall and 4-5 in the CBC) held a 4-3 edge as action moved into the home half of the third inning.
Alder scored three times in each of the third and fourth to grab a 9-5 advantage.
NU scored once in the fourth
North Union kept battling and plated its final run in the visitors’ portion of the fifth.
JA added an insurance score in the bottom of that frame.
“It was a hard-fought game,” said first-year NU head coach Pat Grove. “We’ve been struggling of late, but I like how we competed tonight.”
The Lady Cats pushed the first run of the game across in the top of the first.
Kailin McElroy led off with a single and went to second on Kennedy Harrah’s sacrifice bunt.
McElroy advanced to third on a fly ball out from Emma Padovano.
A dink single behind first base by Reese DeCamp brought in the run.
JA pitcher Alyssa Miller put a strikeout in the book to end the top of the frame.
DeCamp put Jonathan Alder down in order in the home half of the initial inning.
NU took advantage of a JA fielding miscue to take a 2-0 lead in the second.
Kale Keigley singled and motored all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt from Emma McElroy.
The JA error allowed the Lady Cats to take their two-run lead.
A line drive out and another strikeout got Alder out of further trouble.
The Lady Pioneers got base hits from Kiersten Dolby and Natalie Neumeier in the bottom of the second.
Sandwiched in between was a fielder’s choice off Anna Engle’s bat.
No outs were made on that play and the bases were loaded.
Riley Maginnis reached safely on a fielder’s choice as a force out was made at the plate.
DeCamp issued a free pass to Katelyn Rihl, which brought in Jonathan Alder’s first run.
The sacks were still juiced when Evan Platfoot reached safely on a fielding miscue.
That enabled JA to tally two additional runs for a 3-2 edge.
The Lady Cats regained a 4-3 margin with a pair of runs in the top of the third.
Kailin McElroy slapped the ball for a single and moved to second on Harrah’s sacrifice bunt.
Padovano’s base hit perched runners on the corners.
Both raced home on DeCamp’s single.
A fly ball and grounder allowed JA to escape further trouble.
A pair of North Union errors helped Alder score its first two runs of the third.
Shanna Higgins and Dolby reached base on those miscues.
They advanced to second and third on a fielder’s choice.
Neumeier then ripped a single that drove in both runs.
Neumeier went to second on the throw and advanced to third on a grounder by Kylie Petersheim.
Neumeier gave JA a 6-4 lead when she trotted home on Abby Bush’s triple.
DeCamp put a strikeout in the book to end the inning.
NU pulled to within 6-5 in the fourth.
Alder’s fourth at-bat of the evening resulted in a 9-5 spread.
Base hits from Platfoot, Maggie McCoy and Higgins loaded the bases.
A fielder’s choice brought in a run.
Neumeier later added her third and fourth RBIs with a base hit.
“I’ve been hitting the ball well,” said the Alder first baseman who went three-for-four at the plate. “We knew we would have to battle if we got down.”
North Union’s run in the fifth narrowed its deficit to 9-6.
Armed with that margin, Jonathan Alder tacked on an insurance run in the home half of the fifth.
Higgins was credited with the RBI that put Alder’s 10th run on the scoreboard.
Miller went back to the circle in the top of the sixth.
She got the first out on a strikeout, but walked Emma McElroy.
The NU base runner swiped second, but was stranded there after two more K’s.
The Lady Cats threatened in the top of the seventh.
Kailin McElroy singled, but was erased at second on a fielder’s choice off Harrah’s bat.
Harrah went to second on a wild pitch.
A strikeout and grounder, however, ended the contest.
NU finished with nine hits off Miller, but also committed five fielding miscues.
“Errors have been our bug-a-boo the last four games,” said Grove. “We’ve averaged four over that time frame. We just had some at key times tonight.”
“We did enough to win the game,” said McGrew.
NU 112 110 0-6 9 5
JA 033 310 x-10 10 2
WP: Miller
LP: DeCamp