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Columbiana comes up just short in 10-inning game
By Chuck housteau
CORTLAND
The Columbiana softball team didn’t come away with a Division IV district championship on Friday but the Clippers did walk away with a lot of pride and confidence.
The young Clippers hung with a very talented East Canton team for 10 innings before dropping a 3-1 decision in the title game at Lakeview High.
“Our kids gave it their all,” said Columbiana coach Bonnie Wilkinson. “How could you be disappointed in their effort. They gutted it out for 10 innings and could have quit after falling down 1-0 in the seventh inning.
“I’m ecstatic because we don’t have a senior on our team. All our starters are young but I feel bad for them right now.”
East Canton (23-3) couldn’t crack Columbiana’s freshman pitcher, Dakota DeAmicis, for the first nine innings.
DeAmicis was crafty with an outstanding array of offspeed pitches that had the Hornets off balance all game.
In the 10th East Canton finally got to the young hurler for two runs that broke up a 1-1 tie.
Heidi Vacco led off the inning with a swinging bunt and one batter later, Letitia Bittinger blasted a long fly ball over to center field for a RBI triple. Bittinger then scored an insurance run on a single.
“We made a lot of great plays defensively and Dakota was super on the mound,” said Columbiana shortstop Haley Goist. “They finally got some hits in that last inning and we couldn’t get it back in our half of the inning.”
Bittinger was also outstanding on the mound for East Canton. The senior struck out 14 and was in command for much of the game.
Bittinger and DeAmicis traded outs for the first six innings although both pitchers had to battle out of minor jams.
Columbiana (17-11) did get two runners on in the bottom of the sixth and nearly scored when Katie Libb’s long fly to right was caught on a diving effort by Jasmine Garrett.
East Canton scored a run in the top of the seventh and looked like they might eke out a 1-0 win.
Columbiana, however, rallied with one out in the bottom of the last inning of regulation play to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
Abby Hertel hit a double and pinch-runner Collette Steiginga came around to score on an alert running play after Sami Veitz beat out an infield single.
“This is the second year in a row that [Columbiana] has taken us to extra innings,” said East Canton coach Craig Linerode. “They always have great pitching that they develop over there.
“Credit them for a great defense. They played great defense the entire night and that made it that much harder for us to get anything going.”