Kayla Sedgewick races for home in this file photo. Sedgewick had a big bat for NU during a win over Indian Lake.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
There was good and bad news in the fifth inning for the North Union softball team at home against Indian Lake.
Starting with bad news.
Indian Lake scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning to nearly erase North Union’s 6-0 lead.
Now for the good news.
The Lady Cats erupted for seven runs in their half of the frame, giving them a 13-5 lead.
That outburst led NU to a 17-5 victory over the Lakers.
The victory clinched the Lady Cats’ second straight Central Buckeye Conference Mad River championship.
They are now 12-1 in league play and 14-3 overall. Indian Lake dropped to 8-6 and 12-8.
“Winning championships is a standard for North Union,” head coach Emily Clark said. “We were aggressive all game long. We had to find a way in the fifth inning to push back.”
The aggressiveness Clark praised came in the form of 18 hits, which included two home runs each by Laine Sparks and Kayla Sedgwick.
Sparks hit a solo shot in the second inning and Sedgwick matched that with one in fourth inning.
That, however, was small potatoes to what Sparks and Sedgwick did later in the game.
With one out in the fifth for North Union, Ryleigh Rasey singled, Baylee Grubb drew a walk and Cagney Stewart belted another single to load the bases.
Sedgwick unloaded a long blast over the centerfield fence for a grand slam, giving North Union a 10-5 lead.
One inning later, Grubb and Stewart each singled and Sedgwick drew a walk for another bases-loaded situation.
This time it was Sparks who unloaded with a smash not far from where Sedgwick’s homer had landed for a run-rule ending to the game.
Clark has told her team all year to expect failure and come back from it.
Sedgwick, who was one of three seniors honored before the game, was upset she had struck out in the first inning.
She made up for that first-inning trip to the plate with the two homers and a double while driving in seven runs.
“I struck out in my first at-bat and wanted to get another try,” Sedgwick said. “But I didn’t expect two home runs.”
Sparks drove in five runs with her two homers, while also getting a double.
Jayla Kelley had three hits for NU, while Stewart and North Union’s other two seniors – Grubb and Candace Holloway – each had two hits.
Reese DeCamp was the winning pitcher, allowing six hits, striking out six and walking two.
IL 000 050— 5 6 2
NU 131 174—17 18 3
WP—DeCamp; LP—Lones.
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North Union loses 8-2 to Indian Lake
Early scoring by Indian Lake led it to an 8-2 win over North Union in Central Buckeye Conference baseball action.
The Lakers scored three runs in the first inning and single markers in the second and third innings.
After Indian Lake scored two runs in the fifth, North Union tallied a pair of runs in the sixth to cut the lead to 7-2. Indian Lake finished the game with a run in the seventh.
The Wildcats, 6-11 overall and 5-9 in the CBC, collected seven hits. Evan Hoffer and Tyler Krebehenne each had a double. Landon Converse, Aaron Krebehenne, Austin Haubiel, John Hughes and Kam Apt each had a single.
IL 311 020 1—8 9 1
NU 000 002 0—2 7 4
WP—Tuttle; LP—T. Krebehenne.