Lady Blue Devils win District title, down Fairfield, 7-4
Before the season, Danville Lady Blue Devils softball coach Charlie Duncan told the Mount Vernon News that the team was “gunning for our seventh consecutive District title.”
Duncan said the team members agreed that they had a great 2021 season but fell one run short in advancing to the regional final.
“Our girls' mission was to prevent that this year and come in stronger than we were last year.”
So far, they mission is on course. The Lady Blue Devils laid claim to the Division 4 District championship again, with a 7-4 victory over Fairfield Christian Academy on May 21.
Danville scored in every inning except the third and, after breaking open a 1-1 game with a three-run second, the Lady Devils were in command. The Lady Knights came back with two runs in the fifth to cut the led to 5-3, but Danville answered with single runs in the fifth and sixth and pulled away.
Emily Weckesser blasted a monster home run to start a two-out three-run rally in the second and was hit by a pitch, stole second and third and scored an insurance run in the fifth.
Danville was outhit by Fairfield, 7-6, but was led at the plate by Weckesser, as well as by Keaura Shilling’s two hits, which included a triple, and Jaylyn Smith’s two hits, including a double. Addison Mickley stole three bases, and Grace Gronberg threw a 124-pitch complete game, striking out 12.
Danville takes on unbeaten Notre Dame on May 25 in the regional semifinals.
Cotsamire’s 1-hitter puts Lady Bulldogs in the regionals with 6-0 shutout of Newark
Maddy Cotsamire pitched a one-hit shutout and got two hits of her own in the May 21 Division 4 District championship final. EK beat Newark, 6-0, to move on to the regional semifinals May 25 vs. Russia at Clayton Northmont.
Following a three-up, three-down top of the first, East Knox took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a lead-off single by Cotsamire, a bunt single by Nataley Hull and a one-out sacrifice fly by Shanda Melick. EK padded it to 2-0 in the second on a single by Baylee Comer and a one-out single by Anjel Montgomery.
A four-run fourth put the game away for EK. At this point, Cotsamire had retired all 12 batters she had faced, and in the bottom of the fourth, Kayla Finch and Montgomery singled, and a hard ground ball by Cotsamire resulted in an error that scored Finch. A ground out plated Montgomery, and a double by Natalie Smith brought in two more runs to make it a 6-0 lead for the ’Dogs.
Cotsamire retired the first 15 Lady Wildcats she faced before walking the lead-off batter in the sixth. A lead-off single in the seventh was the only hit Cotsamire allowed, and that runner was eliminated on a double play hit by the next hitter. Cotsamire ended the game on by striking out the final hitter. She needed only 77 pitches – 61 for strikes – to complete the nine-strikeout gem.
The Lady Bulldogs outhit the Lady Wildcats 12-1, with Cotsamire, Hull, Melick, Finch and Montgomery reaching base on two hits apiece.
Lady Freddies move on with 5-2 win over Johnstown
All of the scoring occurred in the middle innings as the Fredericktown Lady Freddies downed the Johnstown-Monroe Lady Johnnies, 5-2, May 21 in the Division 3 District final.
Both offenses were scoreless through three, and Fredericktown jumped ahead 2-0 in the fourth, only to be answered by a 2-run Johnnies outburst in the bottom of the inning. The Lady Freddies responded with three runs in the top of the fifth, and that was enough for the win as pitching shut down both offenses the rest of the way.
Fredericktown outhit J-M 7-3, with Jess Montalvo leading the way with two hits and two RBIs. Miranda Payne pitched a complete-game win for the Freddies, allowing three hits and one walk and striking out seven in a 117-pitch performance.
Fredericktown will meet Arcanum in the regional semifinals May 25.
