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Champion softball calms Crestview
By Tom Williams
CHAMPION
Thursday’s rain was anything but beautiful for softball, but the top Division III team in the state was grateful Mother Nature held back just enough to get a meaningful tune-up game played.
“The field stayed decent, so we’re glad,” Champion head coach Cheryl Weaver said after the Golden Flashes’ 10-0 five-inning victory over Crestview on the brand-new Roger Samuelson Field at Champion High School. “It held up really nice.”
She was speaking about the field, but she could have been talking about the clouds overhead.
Winning pitcher Allison Smith (7-1) tossed a two-hitter, striking out nine and walking none. She faced one batter over the minimum.
Smith, an Ohio State recruit, said the biggest challenge of starting a game in a light rain “was trying to keep the ball dry — hide it in your glove, try to be efficient, throw as many strikes as you can, try to get out of standing in the rain.”
Smith threw 16 of her 50 pitches in the first inning in striking out the side. She struck out the next two batters then received some infield help.
Shianna Mathes laid down an almost perfect bunt that third baseman Abby White fielded and fired to second baseman Carli Swipas covering at first base.
“It was a little slippery from the mud,” said White who was celebrating her 18th birthday. “I got a little nervous at first when I released it.”
Then she saw her aim was true.
“I saw that Carli was going to get it.”
After the game, White said she was going to celebrate “by buying a lottery ticket.”
In the fourth inning, Haley Eskra broke up Smith’s perfect game with a bunt single for the Rebels (17-4, 7-2 All-American Conference Blue Tier). She was erased trying to steal second base.
Mathes’ second bunt resulted in the Rebels’ other hit.
At the plate, Smith scored three times. In the first inning, she led off with a walk then came home on Cassidy Shaffer’s homer to center field.
Emman Gumont made it 3-0 in the second inning with a solo homer.
Smith hit a solo homer in the third inning and a two-run shot in the fourth.
Brooklyn Whitt contributed a two-run double in the Flashes’ four-run fourth inning. Abbi Grace’s two hits included a double and she scored twice.
Champion (14-1, 9-0) is ranked first in this week’s Division III state poll. The two-time defending state champions will face a strong test on Saturday at LaGrange where they will play Keystone and Anthony Wayne.
In the state poll, Keystone, the defending Division II state champs, is ranked number one while in Division I Anthony Wayne is tied for ninth.
“We’re all looking forward to Saturday,” Smith said. “It’s going to be like [playing] in the state championship — good teams, quality hitters.”
White said the doubleheader “is exciting because it puts a lot of pressure on us. We’re defending state champs so everyone is out to get us.
“And if we just step up and play our game, I think we will be perfectly fine.“
Blessed with two dominant pitchers, Weaver alternates Smith and Sophie Howell. She said Howell will pitch against Keystone and Smith against Anthony Wayne.