DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
It was one of those moments a softball player dreams about.
Shelby Weigel’s softball dreams came true Saturday afternoon as she belted a walk-off home run over the right field fence to give the South Adams Starfires a sectional title in extra innings.
Having blown leads twice in the game, the Starfires may have felt like they had let another opportunity to win slip away, especially after they failed to move the runner twice in the eighth inning after a leadoff single. Weigel worked a full count, allowing Lyndsey Lefever to steal second, but Weigel didn’t need to worry about force outs as she hit one up into the wind and cleared the fence for the Starfire victory.
Woodlan never led in the game, but they did claw back to tie the contest at 3-3 in the fifth and again at 4-4 in the seventh.
Addie Baker opened the game with her fifth home run of the season in the first inning. At one point early in the game, Baker struck out five of six batters she faced. She went on to strike out one more, pitching all eight innings and allowing seven hits.
The Stars took advantage of the Warriors in the second, scoring on a passed ball and accepting three walks and a hit by pitch to take a 3-0 lead when Avery Brown singled with two outs to score Lydia Bauman, who was the courtesy runner for Kenzie Neuenschwander.
Woodlan got all three runs back in the fifth with two-out singles by Alyssa Harvey and Lillian Riley, starting the quest for a lead all over again.
Tessa Bernard gave the Stars that lead again when she doubled in Brown in the very next inning and Baker and her defense kept Woodlan off the board with solid defense in the sixth, with Baker striking out Woodlan leadoff hitter Victoria Crozier to end a scoring threat.
Riley tied the ballgame up at 4-4 with an RBI groundout to the right side, scoring Jade Lichty from third and the game went to the fateful eighth inning when Neuenschwander’s leadoff double went for nowt.
The Starfires now face a Tuesday regional against a team with a mirror record in Central Noble. The Cougars are 23-5 and the Stars have won more game under their belts at 24-5.
Central Noble won their second sectional title in school history by shutting out Eastside last week.
The Starfires committed four errors in the second game of a Saturday tournament and lost to Central Noble, 6-3, six weeks ago. Grace Swank is one of the area’s leaders in strikeouts with 181 Ks in just 86 innings. She and Kensy Kimmell are considered co-aces and both pitched well against South Adams the first time around.
For comparison’s sake, Addie Baker has 162 Ks in 125 innings pitched this season.
Tuesday’s regional championship game can be heard live on 92.7 FM.
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