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Manchester united to eliminate LaBrae
By Curtis pulliam
Massillon
LaBrae softball head coach Demetra Noble knew her squad would have to put together a complete game to beat Akron Manchester.
Junior pitcher Emily Dugan had 11 strikeouts, but the Vikings managed just four hits and fell to the Panthers, 4-1, in a Division III regional semifinal.
“I think she did well,” Noble said. “I don’t think it was top-notch, but I think she did what she needed to do. That’s a good hitting team and I knew that’s what we were going to be up against.
“We hit the ball hard, we only had two strikeouts (offensively). They just made some really good defensive plays on us.”
Noble more than likely was referring to Manchester’s shortstop Courtney Roth, who made a number of great defensive plays in the contest. Three of them came consecutively as she gobbled up three hard-hit balls in the sixth inning.
“I try to take it play-by-play,” said Roth, whose team moves on to a regional final Saturday. “Every time I expect it because you always have to have that mentality that you’re getting the ball.”
Panthers head coach Jim Morehart was not surprised by his shortstop’s play defensively.
“She’s been like that for four years,” Morehart said. “She’s just a great athlete. She struggled a little today at the plate, but she didn’t let it bother her. If she makes a mistake, she’s going out there saying, ‘Give it to me again.’ She’s been solid all year.”
The Vikings, who made last year’s regional final, had a few opportunities offensively. In the first inning, senior Somer McCoy reached on an infield error, but LaBrae could not get her home.
The best offensive chance for the Vikings came in the third inning down 2-0. Sophomore Haley Davies drew a walk and senior center fielder Danielle Miracle dropped a bunt single. The Vikings scored on a sacrifice bunt by third baseman Lauren Rutherford to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Panthers escaped the inning without any more damage.
After that, Manchester (19-8) seemed to take over. The Panthers scored in the third as well, with one run scoring on a passed ball and the other was a home run to rightfield hit by the Panthers’ sophomore third baseman Emily Kusmits.
The Panthers and Kusmits struck again in the fifth, this time with a runner on, to stretch the lead to 4-1. Kusmits had three hits in the game, and now has six home runs.
“She’s strong enough, if somebody tries to jam her [and] she’s smart enough to open up and muscle it out,” Morehart said. “If you throw her away, she’ll go with the pitch.”
Noble knew Kusmits was a dangerous hitter.
“I told [Dugan] that first base was open,” Noble said. “The pitch call was not to be strikes. Sometimes she misses some spots and it happens.”
On the mound for the Panthers was sophomore Jenna Williams. Williams pitched all seven innings, allowing four hits, one earned run and striking out two.
The Vikings (20-6) did not go out quietly, getting two runners on base in the seventh, but a double play wiped out any chance of a rally.
“I’m still proud of them,” Noble said. “It was a phenomenal season. How many teams get to go to regionals twice in two years? It’s a great experience for the girls, the parents love it, the school loves it. I hope to continue the trend.”
Manchester will meet the winner of today’s semifinal between South Range and Independence.
“It’s a nice win for us,” Morehart said. “A lot of people didn’t give us much of a chance at the district level. So it’s kind of rewarding.”