| Elmwood’s Rebecca Harvey tags out New London’s Rylee Haswell at second base Wednesday evening during their game at Fostoria High School. (Photo: Shane Hughes/Sentinel-Tribune) |
FOSTORIA — Elmwood’s Lindsay George made her 15-pitch at-bat count in the bottom of the ninth inning
Wednesday night as she helped the Royals advance to Saturday’s Division III regional final. PHOTO GALLERY
The
sophomore third baseman fended off fastballs on the outside corner, riseballs and changeups, but found a
way to put the ball in play.
Her fielder’s choice to third base scored teammate Rebecca Harvey to give Elmwood (24-3) a 2-1 victory
over New London (21-5).
“I knew I had to get it in play so the run could score,” said George, who admitted nerves were a factor.
“Miranda pitched a great game … and I just needed to get that run in so we could win.”
The Royals play Saturday at noon, at a location to be determined, against the winner of Friday’s
Bloom-Carroll/Ottawa-Glandorf matchup for the regional championship and a spot in the state semifinals.
Bloom-Carroll, the defending state champion, is the top-ranked team in the state. Elmwood is ranked
fifth.
The game went extra innings after the two teams battled to a 1-1 stalemate through seven innings.
It was a pitchers duel all the way, with Elmwood’s Miranda Benschoter striking out 13 and walking two.
Her counterpart, Alex Bowers, fanned 10 and walked one. Benschoter also hit one batter.
George’s fielder’s choice in the bottom of the ninth came after Bowers struck her out during her first
and third at-bats in the second and seventh innings. She flew out to left during her second at-bat in
the fifth.
The Wildcats elected to pitch to her a fourth time, despite first base being open. The Royals had Harvey
on third and Madison Arnold on second.
Arnold, the cleanup hitter, bunted her way to a single down the first-base line.
“We were playing for a run. When you get your leadoff hitter on, it doesn’t matter who is up next, you’ve
got to bunt,” Elmwood coach Matt Hoiles said of his decision to bunt Arnold.
Harvey reached on a fielding error by the third baseman to leadoff the ninth. She moved all the way to
third on Arnold’s bunt. Arnold advanced to second when New London threw to third in an attempt to get
Harvey.
New London was first to get on the board in the fourth inning. It capitalized on two Elmwood miscues.
Both teams had chances to score throughout. Elmwood stranded four runners and New London six as the
veteran pitchers worked their way out of multiple jams.
“That was pitch-for-pitch,” Hoiles said. “Those were two great pitchers going against each other.”
Through three innings, Benschoter logged seven strikeouts and Bowers had six. Benschoter struck out the
side in the third and fanned three in a row after a leadoff single in the seventh. Bowers began the game
with three consecutive strikeouts.
“The report on this team was that their pitcher can shut you down and she did, but we kept fighting and
we kept fighting,” said Hoiles.
Elmwood’s first run came in the sixth when Brandie Vargas scored on Olivia Myers’ single. Hoiles tried to
hold Vargas at third, but she kept going.
“I gave her a free pass since she was safe,” Hoiles joked.
ELMWOOD 2, NEW LONDON 1
NEW LONDON 000 100 000—1 5 1
ELMWOOD 000 001 001—2 5 2
(None out when winning run scored)
BATTING LEADERS
HITS —(E) Benschoter, Myers, Arnold, Schmitz, Williams; (NL) Moody 2, Haswell, Chaffins, Parrott; RUNS —
(E) Harvey, Vargas; (NL) Haswell. RBI — (E) Myers, George; (NL) Chaffins. SB — (NL) Chaffins, Parrott.
SAC —(E) Benschoter; (NL) Parr. LOB — Elmwood 4, New London 6.
PITCHING SUMMARY
IP H R ER BB SO
NEW LONDON
Bowers (LP) 8
5 2 1
1 10
ELMWOOD
Benschoter (WP) 9 5 1 0 2 13
