Poland topples Jefferson in semis

The Bulldogs will meet Ashtabula Edgewood for the fifth straight year.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
JEFFERSON -- Jefferson's Kari Rouzer's first pitch of Monday's game against Poland bounced in the dirt before it got to the plate.
Her second pitch took a little longer to land.
Bulldog senior Ashley Conger creamed a belt-high meatball over the fence on that second pitch and junior pitcher Liz Maher held the Falcons in check as Poland won 4-1 in a Division II district semifinal.
"It's always good to start a game off like that," said Conger, who has three homers this season. "We kind of all relax and the jitters go away."
Maher (9-5), meanwhile, didn't give up a hit until the fifth inning, tossing a two-hitter with eight strikeouts. The lone run was unearned, the result of a three-base throwing error in the sixth inning.
"I felt really strong," Maher said. "Everything was working and I was confident in all my pitches."
The win sets up another rematch with Ashtabula Edgewood, which defeated Cardinal Mooney 5-2, in the other semifinal today at 4:30 p.m. in Jefferson. It's the fifth straight postseason meeting between the two teams. After winning the first three, the Bulldogs (19-5) fell to Edgewood 3-2 last season.
"They beat us last year, that's all I remember," Poland coach Reid Lamport said.
"I'm excited," added Conger. "I can't wait to play them. They beat us last year and we want to get back at them this year."
Efficient pitching
Maher slammed a home run in the top of the seventh inning of last year's game against Edgewood, tying it at 2 before the Warriors won it in the bottom of the inning. She was very efficient on Monday -- she had four 1-2-3 innings -- which means she'll be fresh today.
"She pitched a great game," Lamport said of Maher. "It's one of her better games. She mixed up her pitches well and kept them off balance. And we did a good job defensively behind her, except for the three-base error."
Poland's No. 6 hitter, Jenna Barnhart, went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs and No. 8 hitter Julia Johnston added an RBI double.
"Our bottom of the order hit really well today," said Lamport. "When we do that, we're a pretty good team because the top of our lineup hits pretty consistently."
Emma Brenoel also scored and Maher had two walks that led to runs, both by courtesy runner Brittany Gamble.
Rouzer (12-6) gave up six hits, struck out five and seemed to keep the Bulldogs off balance after a rough start. But the Falcons (15-6) didn't have an answer for Maher and the game never seemed in doubt.
"Poland's right up there with Edgewood," said Jefferson coach Paul Bodner, whose team lost to the Warriors twice this season. "They've got good defense, good pitching, timely hitting.
"But Edgewood's going to be tough to beat. They don't beat themselves."
Most of Poland and Edgewood's players were in last year's game, so there won't be many surprises. (One big difference is that Poland lost catcher Kari Thompson before the season when she decided not to play her senior year. Thompson homered in last year's game against Edgewood.) When asked his game plan, Lamport smiled.
"Our game plan is to end up with one more run," he said.
scalzo@vindy.com