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Lisbon captures first, district crown
Blue Devils ride pitching, home run to victory
By Jacob RUFFO
BERLIN CENTER
Sam Tinsley’s arm powered and Autumn Ohelstrom’s bat the Lisbon High School softball team to its first district title.
Friday in the Division IV district title game at Western Reserve High School, the Blue Devils defeated St. Thomas Aquinas, 4-2.
“I can’t even believe it,” Lisbon coach Dave Crismon said. “This was on our radar, we saw who was in our district and we knew we had a real good shot.
“[But] I can’t even comprehend it all right now.”
The game was dominated by pitching, with runs only being scored in three innings.
The majority of the offense came from a three-run home run in the bottom of the third by Ohelstrom.
Tinsley, who pitched her second complete game in as many days, feels confident her team isn’t close to being finished.
“I think we can get far,” Tinsley said. “All I have to do is keep working and hit my spots. Our defense is always backing me up.”
With the bases empty and two outs, Devyn Flory tripled to right field. After Kimmi Wiggers walked, Ohelstrom homered for a 3-0 lead.
The Knights did not go down without a fight. In the fourth inning, their first four batters reached base and two scored.
With runners on second and third and no outs, a double play abruptly ended the rally. During Emily Lair’s at-bat, a dropped third strike resulted in a throw to first baseman Taylor Siefke who retired Lair. Bridget Neal attempted to steal home and Siefke’s throw to catcher Devyn Flory was in time to tag her out at the plate.
Lisbon added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, with Siefke getting the RBI.
“We had some key hits,” Lisbon coach Dave Crismon said. “We didn’t hit very well, but we hit enough to win.
“Autumn hit a big home run, and we made some great catches,” Crismon said, “Those are game-changers — without those we don’t win.”
Crismon and Tinsley talked about the positive effect that double play had on their team. “We put up a three-spot, and we wanted to come away with a zero,” Crismon said. “But it did not happen that way. “I was looking over their faces to see how they were reacting,” Crismon said. “Then we had the pickoff at first and at home and you could immediately see their heads coming back up.”
Tinsley said, “Before the double play, I was down on myself a little bit. But I knew we could recover.
“Then the double play got us right back into the game.”
Ohelstrom’s homer also gave her a lift.
“I felt really confident,” Tinsley said. “I knew we could pull it all together.”