GENOA — Maumee overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Lake, 4-2, in a Division II district semifinal softball game at Genoa High School Wednesday.

The Panthers, 11-13, advance to take on Otsego (17-9) in a district final on Genoa’s field at noon Saturday. Lake falls to 17-7.

Maumee may be under .500, but you have to consider that six losses came to Division I state-ranked teams Anthony Wayne, Springfield, and Perrysburg in Northern Lakes League play.

Maumee coach Brian Jones credits one particular loss to NLL foe Bowling Green for providing motivation for his players to do well in the tournament.

“The schedule that we put together prepares us for these big-time games,” Jones said.

“We had a game earlier this year against Bowling Green where we lost 3-2 in 10 innings, and I told the girls, ‘Games like that are going to prepare you for games like this. It builds character and it just gets you prepared for the game.’”

Lake sophomore pitcher Kali Bedford and Maumee freshman southpaw pitcher Hannah Ruiz battled for four innings, each pitching scoreless softball. Bedford had not allowed a hit, and Ruiz allowed one hit.

However, in the end four Lake errors caught up with the Flyers, even though Bedford struck out four, walked one, allowed six hits and four runs, but only one run was charged to her. Bedford threw 96 pitches, including 68 strikes, facing 31 batters.

Even though Bedford held Maumee hitless through four innings, she had to fight through damage control because Maumee had three baserunners in scoring position the first two innings because of two errors.

“I think there were some nerves early,” Lake coach Dave Rymers said. “Kali did a good job working over those miscues that we had early.”

Plus, Lake stranded nine baserunners, including leaving runners on third base in both the second and third innings.

“We just can’t have as many base runners left on, we can’t have that many missed opportunities, and we can’t strike out as much as we did tonight,” Rymer said.

Plus, Maumee’s defense was up to the task, committing just two errors, including one in the seventh that allowed Bedford to reach base, giving the Flyers some hope for a walk-off opportunity that did not happen.

“Tip of the cap to them,” Rymers said. “They were really clean outside of that last error in the seventh.

“They fielded the balls that they had to, and I thought their pitcher did enough to keep us off balance. We just couldn’t get anything going.”

The Lake offense worked some magic on the top of the fifth, getting five batters on base and scoring two runs on just one hit.

Ruiz seemed unable to find the strike zone, walking sophomore Ellie Rymers and sophomore Sarah Patrick, who battled through nine pitches to find her way to first base, hitting three two-strike foul balls after taking the count full.

Bedford singled to load the bases, then Ruiz walked junior Alivia King and sophomore Kylee Pietrzak, who got RBIs for forcing in Rymers and Patrick.

However, Maumee came up to the plate in the top of the sixth visibly motivated to do damage, and with a little help from Lake’s defense, they did, scoring four runs.

They also had four hits after going hitless the first four innings. Coach Jones say it has become the signature of his team.

“This team never quits,” Jones said. “They haven’t quit all year, even in the games where we are losing 10-0 to Springfield and 12-0 against Perrysburg, they are always excited, they are always working hard and everything. I love them to death.”

Maumee freshman Taylor Smith led off, smacking the first pitch for a double off the center field wall, and she scored when senior Danielle Schriver hit a grounder to third base.

After reaching on an error, junior Lilly Duling ended up scoring on a low pitch that got past the catcher, tying the game at two runs apiece.

Senior Autumn Miller reached on an infield hit, stole second, advanced to third when senior Haley Hughes singled, and Miller and Hughes scored on a two-RBI base hit to right field by freshman Katie Rapp for the winning runs.

For Maumee, Smith lead the offense, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and stolen base. Lake catcher Kylee Pietrzak did throw out one base runner trying to steal.

Getting the base hits for Lake were Bedford and freshman Sophia Gruetter, Patrick and King successfully laid down sacrifice bunts, and sophomore Diem Isbell reached after getting hit by a pitch.

Ruiz got the win in the circle, striking out 10, walking seven, and allowing just two hits and two runs. She threw 133 pitches, including only 75 for strikes, and faced 32 batters.