BG’s Becca Ruehl celebrates a run with her team. (Photos: Aaron Carpenter/Sentinel-Tribune)

Without the benefit of a hit, Bowling Green pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to
slip past Perrysburg, 5-4, in a Division I sectional softball final at Bowling Green High School
Tuesday. PHOTO
GALLERY
The next tournament action for the Bobcats, 14-8 overall, is May 18 at Tiffin University against
Sandusky. Game time is 5 p.m.
“We just finished all the way to the end. It was a great game. They (Perrysburg) just kept hitting and we
just had to keep playing,” said BG’s Casey Akenberger. “Just never get down, that’s the biggest thing.
Because once you do, the whole team will fall apart.”
In the seventh three seniors came through for the Bobcats. Kara Maxey reached on a two-base error by the
Perrysburg left fielder. Allie Smith then sacrificed Maxey to third, bringing Kelby Kale to the plate.

Kale struck out, but the third strike was in the dirt. The catcher’s throw to first hit Kale in the back
of the helmet, giving Maxey the opportunity to score. Maxey got her toe in to touch the plate, beating
the tag and giving the Bobcats the win.
“That dropped third strike and her (Kale) hustling down (to first) rather than giving up, that was the
key right there,” BG head coach Jim Cress said.
The Yellow Jackets, 17-6 overall, had tied the game in the top of the seventh. Katie Dunphy led off the
inning with a single and was sacrificed to second by Lindsay Rich. Cammy Messenger then reached on BG’s
only error of the game with Dunphy going to third.
Perrysburg head coach Ryan DeMars then put Messenger in motion and BG threw through in an effort to keep
Messenger from reaching second. With Messenger in a run-down, Dunphy broke for home and beat the throw
to tie the game at 4.
“We practiced that for about half an hour (Monday),” DeMars said. “We were looking for opportunities to
put pressure on the defense and score runs, and we were able to do that.”
Cress said the Bobcats threw to second in an effort to keep two runners from being in scoring position.

“We feel we need to challenge the other team to earn that spot at second base,” Cress said. “Our fielder
just held onto it a little big too long.”

Kimmy Granata scores a run for Perrysburg.

The Yellow Jackets could not add to their run total in the seventh. That inability to add on runs hurt
Perrysburg the entire game as the Yellow Jackets had 11 hits and left eight runners on base.
“We had people on base and couldn’t get some extra runs,” DeMars said.
Perrysburg took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Rich’s RBI single scored Kim Granata, who singled
to start the game and was sacrificed to second by Dunphy.
The Bobcats countered with three runs in the bottom of the first. Hayley Williford’s sacrifice fly
brought in Akenberger who had tripled to lead off the inning. Becca Ruehl’s triple then scored Lily
Murnen, who had singled. Ruehl later scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. Rich got two strikeouts to
end the inning. Both triples in the inning were well-struck balls to right-center.
“We did a great job of coming back. We didn’t get down in the dugout,” Cress said. “One of the keys to
the game was that we were able to stay positive throughout the whole game.”
Perrysburg tied the game with single runs in the second and third innings. In the second, Katie Zampino
led off with a double and later scored on Kayla Rice’s single. In the third, Dunphy started the inning
with a double and scored on Rich’s base hit to tie the game. BG was helped in the inning when Kale was
able to throw out courtesy runner Lauren Miller, who was running for Rich, on Messenger’s base hit to
center field. Kale charged the ball, got a good high bounce and threw a strike to Williford at the plate
to cut down Miller.
BG took a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Kale led off the inning with an infield single. With one out, Kale was
sacrificed to second by Shannon Joseph and then scored on Akenberger’s base hit to right.
That set the stage for the wild seventh inning.
“I’m really proud of the way we fought,” DeMars said. “They could have packed it in after being down 3-1
after the first inning. They didn’t. They came back and tied it up. They could have packed it in going
into the seventh inning, down 4-3. They didn’t. They came through and got a run across.”
Rice finished with three hits while Granata and Rich each had two hits for the Yellow Jackets. Rich
allowed only six hits, striking out four and not walking a batter.
Akenberger finished with two hits. In the circle, she struck out three and walked one.
It was BG’s second win over Perrysburg this season.
“It’s awesome. It’s something that has never happened before,” Akenberger said. “We had more confidence
because we beat them the first time.”
BG hosts Anthony Wayne this afternoon in a Northern Lakes League game.
DIVISION I
BOWLING GREEN 5, PERRYSBURG 4
PERRYSBURG 111 000 1—4 11 2
BGHS 300 010 1 —5 6 1
(One out when running run scored)
BATTING LEADERS
HITS —(P) Rice 3, Granata 2, Dunphy 2, Rich 2, Messenger, Zampino. (BG) Akenberger 2, Murnen, Ruehl,
Kale, Joseph. 2B — (P) Dunphy, Zampino. 3B — (BG) Akenberger, Ruehl. RUNS — (P) Dunphy 2, Granata,
Zampino. (BG) Akenberger, Murnen, Ruehl, Maxey, Kale. RBI — (P) Rich 2, Rice. (BG) Akenberger,
Williford, Ruehl. SB —(P) Dunphy, Messenger. (BG) Maxey, Kale. SAC — (P) Dunphy, Rich, Messenger,
Plummer. (BG) Smith, Joseph. SAC FLY — (BG) Williford. LOB — Perrysburg 8. BGHS 1.
PITCHING SUMMARY
IP H R ER BB SO
Perrysburg
Rich (LP) 6 1/3 6 5 4 0 5
BGHS
Akenberger (WP) 7 11 4 4 1 3