No. 8 Highland 6, No. 2 Granville 5
No. 8 Highland (13-10, 8-5) continued to blast through opponents in the Division II, Region 8 state tournament on May 16, with the Lady Scots advancing to the finals with a 6-5 extra-innings win over No. 2 Granville (16-8, 7-5) led by a two-RBI day for Guinevere Jackson.
The Lady Scots and Blue Aces were tied 1-1 after one inning, but Granville scored two in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Highland responded with a run in the fourth to cut the lead to one, and then put two runs on the board in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Granville tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. After a scoreless seventh and eighth inning, Highland scored two runs. Granville put a run on the board in the bottom of the inning, but the Lady Scots held on for the win.
Highland had 10 hits in the victory. Jackson was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs in the win. Abby Jordan showed her power with a homer, going 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Aubree Bellamy was 1-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Dalaynie Hernandez went 3-for-5 with a run scored. Kate Clements was 2-for-5.
Stevie Asher was the winning pitcher, going nine innings, allowing five runs but only one earned, eight hits and a walk, while striking out nine.
Highland moves on to the district finals to take on No. 1 Jonathan Alder. Previously, Highland beat No. 7 London 12-7 and No. 11 Bloom Carroll 6-2. Jonathan Alder beat No. 3 River Valley 5-3, No. 10 Buckeye Valley 4-2 and No. 19 Lindon McKinley 13-0.
No. 6 East Knox 1, No. 5 Liberty Union 0
Maddy Cotsamire was nearly perfect for East Knox (17-6, 6-6), throwing a one-hitter against Liberty Union (16-7, 7-6) to take a 1-0 win on May 15 and advance to the district finals of the Division III, Region 10 tournament against No. 1 Johnstown-Monroe.
Cotsamire pitched all seven innings, allowing just one hit and a walk, while striking out 11 batters to take the win.
The Bulldogs had six hits in the game that were all singles. Addison Davis and Baylee Comer each went 2-for-3 with Comer scoring the lone run. Shanda Melick was 1-for-3 with an RBI single. Hannah McCoy went 1-for-4.
East Knox previously beat No. 9 Cardington-Lincoln 11-1. Johnstown-Monroe beat No. 16 Grandview Heights 26-0 and then Amanda-Clearcreek 10-0.
No. 4 Ridgewood North Union 9, No. 3 Centerburg 7
Kayla Ferrell provided some pop with a homer for No. 3 Centerburg (20-7, 11-2), but it wasn’t enough to get past No. 4 Ridgewood North Union (20-3, 10-1), with the Trojans falling 9-7 in the semifinals of the Division III, Region 12 playoffs on May 15.
Centerburg went up 1-0 and then 3-1 after two innings, but North Union put three runs on the board in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Centerburg responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 4-4, but North Union scored two runs in the fourth inning to make it a 6-4 game. The Wildcats went on to score three runs in the fifth, and while Centerburg scored three runs in the sixth, it wasn’t enough to mount the comeback needed.
Centerburg had 12 hits in the game with Ferrell, going 1-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and a run scored. Alyssa Harris was the hits leader, going 3-for-4 with two runs. Harley Webb also went 3-for-4 and had an RBI and a run. Shelby Morris was 1-for-3 with a run and Abby Herren was 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Shelby Morris took the loss, allowing seven earned runs, 13 hits and five walks, while striking out nine over seven innings.
Centerburg previously beat No. 10 Northmor 7-2. Ridgewood North Union previously defeated No. 17 Utica 7-1. Ridgewood North Union faces No. 2 West Jefferson in the district finals.
No. 2 Danville 9, No. 3 Berne Union 5
Addison Mickley had a big day for Danville (14-6, 6-4), smashing a triple and knocking in a run to lead the No. 2 Danville Blue Devils in a 9-5 win over No. 3 Berne Union (17-9, 13-0) to advance to the finals of the Division IV, Region 15 playoffs.
Danville had a 6-1 lead after three innings and then tacked on a run in the fourth and fifth to make it 8-1. Berne Union scored two runs in the fifth to make it 8-3, but Danville scored a run in the sixth and was able to fend off a late attempt by the Rockets to make a comeback.
Mickley was 2-for-2 with a triple, three runs and an RBI. Cordi Richert was 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Emily Weckesser was 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Grace Gronberg was 1-for-2 with an RBI and Taylor Price also knocked in a run.
Gronberg went six innings, allowing three earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts to take the win. Addy Bocock pitched one inning, allowing two earned runs and two hits.
Danville previously beat No. 7 Ridgedale 9-2. With this win, they will take on No. 4 Newark Catholic in the district title game.
