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Canfield, Poland set for another district final
West Branch falls in tight contest
By Tom Williams
ALLIANCE
The West Branch High School softball team did everything it could to crash the party. But for the fourth straight season, Canfield and Poland will play for the Division II district championship today at Alliance High School.
In Monday’s semifinals, Canfield (21-7) defeated Hubbard, 9-2, while Poland (19-8) hung on to win a 4-3 nail-biter against West Branch. The Warriors (21-6) had plenty of chances to take the lead, stranding eight baserunners in scoring position.
“They have a stacked team, every year it’s a battle,” Poland head coach Matt Campbell said of the Warriors. “We’re fortunate to come out with the win.”
Junior Kristyn Svetlak (9-3) picked up the win, making her third straight start since Ally Deemer (10-3) injured her foot in a game last week against Newton Falls. Svetlak struck out nine and walked two.
“What a game she pitched,” Campbell said. “That team is super-talented.”
Svetlak escaped several jams as the Warriors had plenty of traffic on the bases. Her biggest escape came in the sixth inning after Jeni Stewart’s two-run double down the third-base line sliced Poland’s lead to 4-3. With one out, Svetlak struck out Sarah Weber and ended the inning by fielding Kylie Coffelt’s ground ball.
“The difference was they had some timely hits and we didn’t,” West Branch head coach Sis Woods said. “I told the girls they don’t have anything to be ashamed of. We had the tying run in scoring position at the end of the game and just couldn’t get it in.” Bailey Byers led off the seventh inning with her fourth hit of the game. She stole second base but remained there when Svetlak retired two batters on flyouts and struck out Ellie Elasivich to end the game.
Sophomore Amanda Wire, the Bulldogs’ lead-off hitter, sparked the offense. In her first at-bat, she doubled to left field and scored after two wild pitches. In her second at-bat, her two-out RBI single scored Amanda Kabetso for a 2-0 lead.
“I don’t think I realized how important that was,” Wire said of the early lead. “This was exciting.”
In the third inning, Chloe Bush doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Deemer’s sacrifice fly.
Ahead 3-1 in the fifth inning, Brielle Nocera singled, stole second base and then raced home when Byers’ throw to second sailed into center field.
Canfield-Hubbard
The Eagles trailed 4-2 when the Cardinals erupted for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
A thunderstorm in the sixth inning delayed the game for about 45 minutes.
Senior Allison Fabry (10-2) earned the win.
“I felt pretty good, but was a little nervous,” Fabry said. “I had a little pit in my stomach because I know if we don’t win, it’s our last game.”
Senior shortstop Rachel Tinkey said: “Allison pitched a great game for us and our bats cames around when we needed them to.”
Fabry didn’t mind the tight contest. “If it’s a closer game, then I feel like you’re in it more,” Fabry said. “It’s more intense and I feel like I have to really work.”
The Eagles committed five errors.
“Five errors is too many against anybody,” Hubbard head coach Ken Miller said. “Against a good team like Canfield, if you give them an inch and they are going to take a foot. They play hard and they play clean.”
For the Eagles, Emma Wukelich tripled and Taylor Barton doubled.
Canfield-Poland
Round three is next for Canfield and Poland. Neither Campbell nor Canfield head coach Ray Melewski were ready to announce their starting pitchers.
Deemer was the winning pitcher in Poland’s win while Fabry was the winner in the Canfield victory. Melewski’s other choices are sophomore Bridget Durkin, who pitched against Deemer, and junior Kayla Troxil.
Wire can’t wait for the showdown. “They are a great competitor and we always look forward to playing them because they make us play our best,” Wire said. “And I think we [inspire] them to play their best, too.”
The Cardinals and Bulldogs both went 11-1 to tie for the All-Amerian Conference Red title.
“It’s great to be able to play them again,” Campbell said. “It should be fun.”
Tinkey is hoping to earn her fourth varsity regional trip. She played in two basketball regionals as a freshman and sophomore, and a softball regional as a sophomore.
“It’s great playing in Akron,” Tinkey said. “It’s a great atmosphere, but we’ve got to realize we stil have one more step ahead of us.
“For seniors, it [could] be our last game,” Tinkey said. “We try to focus on playing together as a team. We try to take the pressure off of each other.”