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Early errors costly for Canfield in district final
By DAN HINER
SOLON
Canfield softball team played mostly solid defense on Monday during its Division I semifinal win over Boardman, but a couple early errors were the difference in a 7-6 loss to Nordonia in the Tuesday’s district championship.
Canfield (18-8, 8-4 in the All-American Conference) found itself in an early 3-0 hole after the Cardinals allowed four hits and committed two errors in the top of the first inning.
Nordonia’s first three batters reached base and subsequently scored after two throwing errors and a two-run single by Knights designated player Hannah Ours.
“It’s a game of inches and part of the game,” Canfield coach Ray Melewski said. “When you make errors it will cost you and it cost us today.
“The first three runs, when you look at it, were errors on routine plays that we should have had. Things didn’t happen our way. We did settle down, came back a little bit.”
But the Cardinals responded in the bottom of the first. With two outs and a runner on second base, Canfield first baseman Jenna Gibson hit an RBI double to left field. Cardinals’ third baseman Chloe Cruz drove in Gibson on a single to cut the lead to 3-2.
Nordonia (18-8, 10-4 in the Suburban Conference) responded with a two-run inning of its own in the top of the second to extend the lead to 5-2. Knights’ third baseman Natalie Spadaro drove in Kendall Becker on a two-out triple down the right field line. Spadaro scored one batter later on a single by first baseman Hannah Perrine.
The Cardinals scored a run on a bases loaded walk by Ally Sammarco to cut the lead to 5-3 in the third inning, but another Canfield error gave the momentum back to Nordonia.
Knight’s leadoff hitter Holly Groff reached base on an error to start the top of the fourth. Becker followed the error with a single to left field. The third batter in the inning, Jolene Teller, drove home Groff on a double. Becker later scored on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 7-3.
But the Cardinals clawed back into the game in the fifth inning. Canfield’s Jill Baker led off the inning by reaching base on an error by Nordonia in center field. Baker eventually scored on an inside the park home run by Gibson down the right field line.
Gibson said the team regained its confidence late in the game after the home run and helped the team make a late comeback in the final two innings.
“I was really surprised because, me personally, I don’t have much speed,” Gibson said. “So when I was rounding third my coach was telling me to go home and I was like ‘I’m going to get out and my hit wasn’t going to mean anything.’
“I trust my third base coach and I thought it really helped bring up the spirits of the team. Home runs always help to get spirits up and momentum built.”
After a quick inning by pitcher Bridget Durkin, Canfield had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Canfield’s McKenna Carey hit a one-out double and second baseman Maura Kennedy drew a walk in the next at-bat. Carey scored on an RBI single by Baker to left field.
After a wild pitch with moved Kennedy and Baker into scoring position, the next two batters popped out, and the Cardinals didn’t have chance to tie the game in the seventh inning.
Despite the loss, Melewski and Gibson agreed their young team showed character and maturity when facing a 7-3 hole and the experience they gained in this year’s playoffs will only help the team moving forward next season.
“I think it’s definitely going to make us want it more because we know how it feels to lose and nobody likes that feeling,” Gibson said. “So I think it’s definitely going to make us want to chase it more.”
“I lost six seniors last year,” Melewski said. “For this team to come this far in this tournament this year…I couldn’t be more proud.”