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Champion shut down in D-III semifinal by Hillsdale’s Young
By doug chaPIN
MASSILLON
You know it’s a bad day when the driver of your team’s bus is struck by a foul ball — while sitting in the driver’s seat.
That “you’ll never see that again” moment occurred in the seventh inning of Champion High’s 5-0 loss Thursday to Jeromesville Hillsdale in a Division III softball regional semifinal at Massillon Community Park.
Champion, which was ranked fifth in the final state coaches poll, ended its season at 26-2, but has just two seniors on its roster.
“This is a learning game,” Champion coach Cheryl Weaver said. “The whole season, plus this game, should teach our younger players a lot. Hopefully, they take it into next year and we come back and try again.
“I really thought at the start of the season that the talent was there to go this far, and even further, this season. You get to this point, you’re seeing very good teams and you need to step up to advance. We just didn’t do it tonight.”
The Falcons bunched five of their 10 hits in the fourth inning, including four in a row with two out, to score three runs, then added two more runs in the fifth.
Champion never got untracked against Hillsdale senior Adrienne Young. Most of the balls the Golden Flashes hit hard were pulled foul down the third-base line, while the balls Champion’s hitters put in play were pop-ups or easy grounders. In addition, Young struck out nine.
“Their pitcher, she makes you think up there with that screwball inside and then throwing outside,” Weaver said. “She mixed it up really well and I think she kept the girls off-balance.”
Champion’s best chance to score came in the bottom of the third. With two on and two out, Tawny Rogers drilled the ball to deep right-center field where Hillsdale’s Katlyn Simpson made an excellent running catch.
“That could have been the point where we get lifted up, instead they come out and take the momentum,” Weaver said. “Their outfielders made the plays..”
The Falcons struck immediately after Simpson’s play. She doubled with one out in the fourth and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Taylor Petush, batting seventh, singled up the middle for the first run of the game, then Paige King, Ashlee Cutlip and Carly West followed with hits.
Hillsdale scored its final two runs in the fifth on a triple by Jenn Moore, a double by Rashel Louis, a stolen base and a ground out.
As for Champion’s bus driver. A foul off the bat of Moore in the top of the seventh bounced once off the asphalt parking lot, into the open door of the bus and right into the driver’s lap.
It was just one of those days for the Golden Flashes.