Seventh (inning) heaven

By Tom Williams

Canfield rallied past rival Poland 2-1 to win the Division II district title.

JEFFERSON — Canfield junior Bianca Biondillo bats at the bottom of the order, but considers herself as her team’s “double leadoff [batter]. I love it, actually love it.”

The number-nine batter finished first in the hearts of her teammates with a two-out single to left field that drove in the winning run of a 2-1 victory over Poland in the Division II district softball championship game at JAG Field Wednesday.

“She is a great pitcher,” said Biondillo of Bulldogs’ ace Liz Maher. ”We’ve seen her so many times and she gets progressively better. It becomes a mental game with yourself — you have to tell yourself that you can hit her.”

Melissa West’s sixth-inning triple and Mandy Moliterno’s seventh-inning double were the other key hits that helped the Cardinals (19-4-1) rally for the win that sent them to next week’s regional at Firestone Stadium in Akron.

Poland, last year’s district winner, finishes 22-8.

Maher and Canfield senior Tricia Bettura dominated from the mound, especially during the first five scoreless innings when Poland had two baserunners and Canfield four.

“Tricia was firing right from the start,” Cardinals coach Ronie Haurin said. “Their top batters had trouble making contact.”

Poland coach Reid Lamport said Maher “pitched one of her better games of the season.

“And when we had that 1-0 lead that’s all we could have hoped for,” Lamport said. “With Bettura and Maher pitching, we knew runs would be at a premium.”

Allie Patton led off the Bulldogs’ sixth with a solid single to center field. Jenna Medina struck out but took first base on a wild pitch. On a 2-2 count, Maher singled to right field to score Patton for Poland’s 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals, a Div. I regional qualifier in 2006 and 2007, responded almost immediately. With one out, Brittany Danilov reached base on an error.

West then sent Maher’s 3-1 offering into the right-field corner to tie the score.

“If it was anywhere near the plate, I decided I was going to swing. Luckily, I made good contact,” said West, who called it her biggest hit of the season. “Absolutely.”

Maher regained command, getting a popout and groundout to end the threat.

In the seventh, Moliterno hit a one-out double to right-center field. Pinch-hitter Lauren Sulick hit into a groundout that advanced courtesy runner Kasey McMurray.

Biondillo felt the weight of Canfield’s regional return hopes as she walked to the plate.

After fouling off Maher’s 1-2 pitch, Biondillo’s single ended the game.

“I know a lot batters think strategically about what pitch [is coming].” Biondillo said. “When I’m in the box, I completely clear my mind. If I focus too much, I start to think about the bad.”

Haurin said, “[Biondillo] was patient, she waited it out for her pitch.”

“We had a chance,” Lamport said. “In my 19 years of coaching, that’s the best Canfield team we’ve faced.”

Bettura (13-2) struck out six and walked none.

“This is so exciting,” Bettura said of Canfield’s third straight district crown. “We always want to beat Poland, but I think this one is the most important because we want to win state. To get there, we had to beat Poland a second time.”

williams@vindy.com