OHSAA state softball semis: Baltimore Liberty Union, Champion, Keystone, Poland Seminary advance to finals
AKRON, Ohio — Making its first state semifinal appearance, Baltimore Liberty Union rode the arm of junior pitcher Sarah Klopfer to Saturdays Division III state championship game with a 1-0 victory over West Liberty-Salem on Thursday morning.
Klopfer was perfect for the Lions over the final five innings, striking out 11 West Liberty-Salem hitters. WL-S was second in the state last year. Klopfer did not allow a runner to reach second base.
However, it may have been what Klopfer did in her final at-bat that rang the loudest for Liberty Union (27-2). With the game scoreless in the bottom of the sixth inning, sophomore shortstop Taylor Dickson smacked a one-out single back through the middle. She was followed by Klopfer.
The ace pitcher went to lay down a bunt, but instead bunted a soft line drive back at West Liberty (27-3) junior pitcher Becka Peterson. Klopfer – somehow – managed to get the ball over the glove of the diving six-footer for a hit.
Had Peterson caught the liner it would have almost certainly been an inning ending double play.
Seniors Megan Van Almsick and Samantha Mowery went on to complete the rally. Almsick, the Lions catcher, ripped a base hit through the right side of the infield to load the bases, and Mowery hit a fielder’s choice to third baseman Emily Detwiler to drive in Dickson for the game’s only run.
Short of that four-batter stretch in the sixth inning, Peterson was every bit as dominating as Klopfer in the circle. West Liberty’s ace struck out nine batters and allowed just five hits.
In the other Division III softball semifinal…
Champion 5, Clear Fork 2
The second Division III semifinal pitted two undefeated teams against each other — the Warren Champion Golden Flashes and the Bellville Clear Fork Lady Colts. The Golden Flashes (26-0) have extended their season another game.
Champion pulled ahead for good in the top of the third inning, as junior leadoff hitter Haley McAllister started things with a shot to centerfield that went off of centerfielder Jenna Jones’ glove for a triple. McAllister then scored when the relay throw sailed out of play.
Sophomore cleanup hitter Sierra Blackson later doubled down the left field line to bring in a second run and junior first baseman Alison Sorber knocked in Blackson with a single up the middle.
Both teams traded a run in the first inning, with McAllister scoring on an RBI hit by Tawny Rogers for the Golden Flashes, and Clear Fork (31-1) getting a run on a Morgan Ruhl double to the left field fence that scored junior Katie Palmer from third. Palmer reached earlier on a walk and then stole second and third.
Once Champion got the lead, pitcher Lindsay Swipas settled in for the Golden Flashes to strike out 11, including five of the last six batters she faced.
Champion will make its fifth appearance in the state championship game Saturday at 10 a.m. against Baltimore Liberty Union, which appears in the title game for the first time.
In the Division II semifinals…
Keystone 5, St. Francis DeSales 3
Keystone started the game with a bang as junior catcher Bri Buckley smashed a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for a grand slam that put the Wildcats up 4-0 over Columbus St. Francis DeSales (26-4) after the first half inning.
The Stallions answered with a run in the bottom of the first inning as leadoff hitter and pitcher Kelsey Seeds scored when Keystone center fielder Alexis Sanislow couldn’t corral a fly ball, but DeSales couldn’t make up the early four run hole.
Junior Wildcat pitcher Kenzie Conrad settled in to retire 14 of the next 15 Stallions through five innings.
Buckley scored Keystone’s (32-1) final run in the third inning, after leading off with a single.
DeSales made things interesting in the sixth inning when Seeds led off with a base hit through the left side of the infield. After back-to-back Wildcat errors, junior Bryn Allen slapped an RBI single back through the middle to cut the lead to 5-3.
Keystone advances to the state championship as the most experienced team at the tournament with 12 final four appearances. The Wildcats have made the final game in eight of those years.
Poland Seminary 14, Tippecanoe 2
The 2010 Division II runner up, Poland Seminary (24-2) blasted its way past Tipp City Tippecanoe in five innings in Thursday’s final semifinal game to advance to its second straight state championship game against Keystone on Saturday.
Poland sent every batter to the plate at least once in each of the first two innings, on the way to building an 11-2 lead early.
Junior pitcher Erin Gabriel and Jenna Modic both homered and scored three runs for the Bulldogs. Gabriel also drove in five runs. Shortstop Kalie Benson had two doubles, scored twice and had three RBIs. Also scoring twice was leadoff hitter Maura Bobby and Meredith Sikora.
Short of a strange second inning during which Tippecanoe scored two runs without getting a hit, Gabriel limited her foes on the scoreboard yet again, recording nine strikeouts.
Poland and Keystone face off for the Div. II Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Firestone Stadium.
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