HOLLAND — Tinora pieced together three base hits in the 10th inning to score the winning run during a 2-1 Division III district final win over Otsego Friday.
Tinora (19-3) moves on to the Elida regional tournament after mowing down the Northern Buckeye Conference’s top two teams, Otsego and Eastwood, at the Holland district tournament.
Otsego, the NBC champions, saw their season end at 25-3.
“I’m just super proud of all the kids. They left it out on the field there. We have nothing to be ashamed of,” Otsego coach Jason Colyer said. “We have done a great job and we have accomplished a lot of things. I’m just really proud of this group.”
The 10-inning marathon game produced a pitcher’s duel between Tinora sophomore Scylea Zohlman and Otsego senior Lexi North.
It was the second straight day Zohlman and her team got the upper hand in a game that saw limited hits and scoring. She did not allow an earned run Thursday or Friday.
On Thursday, Zohlman held Eastwood to one hit and struck out five in a 3-1 Rams victory, plus she accounted for all three RBIs with a 225-foot home run over the center field fence.
On Friday, Zohlman struck out 19, walked two and allowed five hits, throwing 156 pitches, including 106 for strikes.
Zohlman only needed five groundouts and four flyouts, and of 37 batters faced, she threw 23 first pitch strikes. She displayed excellent velocity and frequently changed speeds.
“Scylea is just a workhorse. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — she is a heck of a kid,” Tinora coach Tony Fairchild said. “She is a competitor. I’ll tell you what, she is a gem.
“The emotions are crazy. Scylea pitched a gem and we’ve talked all year about refusing to lose and these girls have hearts of champions.”
Colyer added, “Give a lot of credit to Tinora and Scylea Zohlman — I think she is an elite pitcher. She was on — on just about every pitch tonight.”
North struck out 20, did not walk a batter, and allowed six hits. North threw 113 pitches, including 94 for strikes, and got four groundouts and four flyouts. Of 38 batters faced, she threw 32 first pitch strikes.
North held Tinora to three hits through the first nine innings, but the Rams found their bats in the 10th.
Quinn Horn led off the 10th with a single to left and Logan McQuillin, attempting to sacrifice, bunted her way on base.
Horn and McQuillin advanced to second and third when Paige Carpenter hit a grounder to first.
Tenae Smith hit a grounder to third, and she was allowed to reach while the runners were held at second and third, loading the bases.
With two outs, Anna Frazer hit a line drive along the left field line, scoring Horn for what proved to be the winning run.
Fairchild said it was about “just staying positive and just keep swinging the bat. Eventually we would be able to make contact and get some balls in play and then good things happen.”
One-half inning earlier with the score tied 1-1, Otsego had a chance to put the game away in the bottom of the ninth but failed to score the walk-off run.
North and Evelyn Rider led off with back-to-back singles, but Zohlman managed to get an infield pop out, fielder’s choice, and strikeout to end the threat.
At the plate for Otsego, North was 2-for-3 and Riley Rowe, Evelyn Rider, and Kiana Dingledine had base hits. North got the Knights started in the fourth when Otsego scored their only run.
North hit a long one-out single to the right field fence and Rider laid down a sacrifice bunt advancing Evelyn Hartman, who was courtesy running for North.
Kiana Dingledine reached on a walk, and as she tried to steal second, Tinora’s infield misplayed the throw from Smith, the catcher, allowing Hartman to score.
For Tinora, Frazer was 3-for-5 with an RBI, Horn was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and DeVona Holmes had a base hit. Zolman had a sacrifice bunt in the first inning, which helped produce Tinora’s first run.
