Leah Potter of Marysville blasts the ball against Westland on Wednesday. Potter slugged one of three MHS home runs during a 15-2 tournament victory.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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There were really no surprises Wednesday evening when Marysville High School’s varsity softball team hosted Westland for a Division I tournament game.
After all, the Lady Monarchs had defeated the Cougars by a combined score of 35-0 during a pair of Ohio Capital Conference Central Division contests earlier this season.
Wednesday’s outcome played right along those lines as MHS slugged its way to a 15-2 verdict in a sectional final game.
Marysville (19-6) punished Cougar pitcher Katie Miller for 18 hits and took advantage of three Westland fielding miscues.
The Lady Monarchs (who are scheduled to play at Jonathan Alder on Friday during a regular-season makeup game) set the tone early with a whopping 12 runs during the home half of the initial inning.
MHS stung the Cougars for 10 hits and took base on all three of the visitors’ errors during that frame.
The inning was highlighted by two of the Lady Monarchs’ three home runs.
Marysville already had a 2-0 lead after pitcher Abby Gindlesberger drove in a pair of runs with a double.
Third baseman Leah Potter followed her to the plate and soon faced a 1-2 count.
Miller’s next offering was right where Potter wanted it.
She turned on the pitch and deposited the ball over the fence for a 4-0 MHS margin.
A pair of Cougar errors later brought in another run and left two Marysville runners on base.
Emily Daniel came up to bat and took Miller over the fence for a three-run shot. It was the first of Daniel’s two round-trippers.
Ashley Dunn drove in a run with a single and Potter added to the first-inning fireworks with a two-run single.
The Lady Monarchs who were on base were then instructed to leave the bag early for outs to end the inning.
Marysville’s offensive firepower lost a bit of steam over the next four frames.
“We lost our focus, which is easy to do sometimes when you score 12 runs in the first inning,” said MHS head coach Jennifer Segner-Maxwell. “We hit the ball well, but lost some focus.”
MHS took a 13-0 lead in the second inning.
Jewely Livingston singled, went to second on Tayler Claybaugh’s fly ball out and raced home on a base hit by Daniel.
Gindlesberger put the Cougars’ batters down without much trouble during the first couple of innings.
Things went a bit lax for MHS during the top of the third.
Bella Garner and Megan Merth both singled and a Marysville error left the bases loaded with no outs.
The Lady Monarchs, though, got two outs on force plays at the plate.
Melanie Markey, however, singled in Westland’s only runs of the day.
Armed with a 13-2 advantage, MHS added a couple of scores in the bottom of the fourth.
With one down, Claybaugh singled.
Daniel came to the plate with two out and clubbed her second dinger.
Hanna Moffett followed with a single, but a grounder ended the inning.
Gindlesberger walked Miller to start the top of the fifth.
Rachel Walters smoked a line drive to the circle that Gindlesberger snared for an out.
She turned the play into a twin killing with a throw to Claybaugh at first, which doubled up Miller.
Holly Starkey then lofted a harmless popup to shortstop that Livingston caught to end the game.
Daniel led Marysville’s hitting attack with a four-for-four performance. She finished the day with six RBIs.
Moffett went three-for-four, while Potter, Livingston and Gindlesberger each had a pair of hits.
Gindelsberger yielded four hits, fanned three and walked one to pick up the complete-game victory.
“Abby worked ahead in the count today,” said Segner-Maxwell. “When she does that, she’s a dominant pitcher.”
Segner-Maxwell said lefty pitcher Izzy Shroyer should be available for Marysville’s district semifinal game on Monday against Columbus Bishop Watterson.
The location of the game had not been announced at press time.
“Izzy had some muscle strain,” the coach said. “I’m not going to pitch her on Friday against Jonathan Alder, but she will go in the tournament game.”
Westland 002 00-2 4 3
MHS (12)10 2x-15 18 2
WP: Gindlesberger
LP: Miller