Fairless ace hurler thwarts Irish dreams of state trip

Bre Willis tossed a one-hitter in Ursuline’s 3-0 loss in the regional final.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

MASSILLON — Minutes after her four-year varsity softball career ended, Ursuline High third baseman Natalie Palermo reflected on a fabulous ending that has eluded the Irish.

“It would have been a dream come true to graduate at state,” said Palermo after Ursuline lost to Navarre Fairless 3-0 in the Division III regional final at Genshaft Park.

The Irish (22-8), who set a school record for victories, were hoping to match the Ursuline baseball team which qualified for state on Friday.

Instead, it’s Fairless (21-9) moving on to Ashland. A year after Ursuline defeated Fairless in a regional semifinal game, Falcons junior pitcher Bre Willis avenged the loss by tossing a one-hitter against the Irish.

The Irish hurt their cause by committing four errors in the first two innings.

Rocky start

“We had a rocky start and we just didn’t recover from it,” Palermo said. “We got pumped up, but it wasn’t at the right moment. We were in it but they just made their plays and got their hits when they counted.”

While the Irish weren’t hurt by their first two miscues in the opening frame, the third and fourth contributed to the Falcons’ first two runs.

“That first inning when we had two errors, that’s when I sense that we were a little nervous,” Ursuline coach Mike Kernan said. “They recovered, but when you start off the game with four errors in the first two innings in the regional championship game against a good-caliber team, those are things you can’t do.”

After Jamie Gromes opened the second inning by reaching on an error, Kristen Gromes singled and took third on an outfield misplay. She scored the Falcons’ second run on Jessica Mills’ safety-squeeze sacrifice bunt.

The Falcons’ other run came in the third inning when Andrea Arney doubled, took third on Ellie Manack’s infield single and scored on a wild pitch.

Lower gives up four hits

Irish pitcher Casey Lower gave up four hits to take the loss.

Through the first four innings, Jolanta Carkido was Ursuline’s lone baserunner when she was hit by a pitch.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the game was interrupted for about 35 minutes by a shower.

“That rain break was perfect for us,” Kernan said. “I saw us wake up a little bit, but at that point it was a little too late.”

That’s because Willis, who hasn’t allowed a run in tournament action, dominated.

“I felt very, very good today, probably the best that I’ve felt the whole tournament ... except for after the rain,” Willis said. “It was hard to come back after the rain. You’re not as loose — everything kind of stiffens up.”

Joseph singles

In the sixth inning, senior shortstop Angelina Joseph broke up Willis’ no-hit bid with a two-hit single. Palermo then drew a walk for Ursuline’s best scoring chance.

The rally was thwarted when Nikka Bonamase lined out to Arney at shortstop.

“Our kids were full of energy out there, the defense played flawless,” Fairless coach Dan McGrath said. “At the plate, we were patient and aggressive.

“Bre has been phenomenal this year,” McGrath said. “And she knows that if she makes a mistake, someone behind her is going to cover for her.

“Ursuline is a good team,” McGrath said. “I think maybe they were a little better last year, with a little better hitters. Their pitcher is a freshman and I think we got on her early, got her rattled a little bit.”

In his six seasons leading Ursuline, Kernan’s teams have four regional appearances.

“Twenty-two wins is a record for our softball program,” Kernan said. “We had a phenomenal season. Knowing how good our team is and what we are capable of and coming out and playing like we did today, it hurts.”

The Irish lose four starting seniors to graduation — Palermo, Joseph, Carkido and Mary Hendricks.

“We have four seniors who we are really going to miss, who have been great leaders,” Kernan said.

Palermo said, “I’ve never been on a team that I’ve loved to play with more than this one.”

williams@vindy.com