Pontius leads Springfield past Ursuline

May 13, 2017 at 12:10a.m.

NEW MIDDLETOWN

With two outs, two runners on, her team trailing by two and the count full, the only person not feeling the heat stood at the plate awaiting Jordyn Kenneally’s next pitch.

Springfield freshman Molly Pontius said she felt no pressure, even though just about everyone else felt the game was on the line.

“I was just completely calm,” the Tigers’ designated player said.

Pontius hit a line drive that just cleared the left-field fence for a three-run homer that lifted third-seeded Springfield to a 9-8 Division III sectional final win over Ursuline on Friday.

“Great clutch hit,” said Ursuline head coach Michael Kernan, whose team did not qualify for district for the first time since 2005.

Pontius took off for first base not knowing how far the ball was going.

“I was hoping it was [a homer], but I wasn’t sure because I caught it so low,” said Pontius, who was the Tigers’ third baseman until suffering a knee injury.

Springfield head coach Bill Amero said the move to just batting hasn’t affected Pontius.

“It hasn’t changed a thing to her,” Amero said. “She was hitting a ton before and she’s hitting a ton now.”

The homer wasn’t Pontius’ only big hit. In the third inning, she smacked a two-run double down the left-field line to slice Ursuline’s lead to 4-3.

“This is how our season has gone most of the year,” Kernan said. “We’ve been pretty productive scoring runs but ... [this] was definitely not a stalwart game defensively.”

Each team committed three errors, but strong plays were made.

In the first inning, the Tigers loaded the bases but stranded them when Irish center fielder Bethany Rios raced in to make a shoe-top catch of a sinking liner hit by Jacqueline Kish.

The bases were loaded again in the fifth inning when Irish second baseman Emma Ericson moved quickly to her right to snag a line drive off Cassie Bacon’s bat to strand three more.

Most impressive was how the Tigers (20-3) did not quit despite falling behind 4-0 and 8-5. Amero, who led Boardman to a Division I state title in 2001, said he’s been encouraging confidence.

“We’ve been talking all season that they have to take the attitude that when we take the field, we’re the best team,” Amero said. “I tell them it’s not a cockiness, it’s just a quiet confidence.

“And you just keep plugging and keep plugging, and good things will happen.”

The Irish (16-8) erupted for four runs in the third inning with Gia Caldrone and Ericson delivering RBI singles.

The score was 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Lindsey Druschel’s homer — her fourth of the season — brought home Bacon for a 5-4 lead.

“It felt really good [coming] off the bat,” she said. “It was cool.

“This was definitely an exciting game to be a part of,” the Tigers senior left fielder said. “I don’t know that we’ve played a game where both teams were scoring so much and it was so close.”

The Irish weren’t finished, posting another four-run inning in the fifth. Destiny Goodnight singled and scored on Caldrone’s double to tie the game. McKenzie Shells singled and Ericson reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. An error and RBI groundout brought them home for an 8-5 lead.

In the sixth inning, Druschel’s fourth hit ignited the Tigers’ comeback. Josie Applegarth singled and Nikki Bovo reached when an outfield collision resulted in a dropped flyball that sent Druschel home with the sixth run.

That set the stage for Pontius’ two-out heroics.

The Tigers have six seniors whose season has been extended for at least six more days.

“That’s so nice because every tournament game, as a senior, I’m so nervous it’s going to be my last one,” Druschel said. “So getting an extra guaranteed week is so nice to spend with my team.”

Rios and catcher Cassandra Hanuschak played their final varsity game for Ursuline.

“They are definitely going to be missed,” Kernan said of his seniors. “Their time and their commitment and their loyalty to the program [is an example of what] makes us who we are.”

Springfield advances to Thursday’s district semifinal game at South Range against second seed Columbiana. They met in the regular season and the Clippers had a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when rain washed the game out.