Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning on Tuesday, Chillicothe had a choice to make.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Trailing Circleville by a 10-0 tally, it was either roll over and move onto the next game or stay and battle back.
The Cavaliers (2-0) chose the latter in what became a confidence-building victory in non-league play by a 13-12 final against a formidable opponent.
“This was our home opener and we’ve been doing a lot to get ready for this game,” Chillicothe coach Andrea Morgan said. “[The win] means a lot to us. It means a lot to the girls. We had quite a few fans come out to watch, too. All of those things are really starting to change the culture for us. I’m thankful for that.”
Chillicothe’s final base hit came off the bat of senior Mikayla Spaulding, who drove in the winning run with a drive into the right-center field gap.
But that moment wouldn’t have been possible without a two-run, no-doubt bomb from senior Bella Riffe in the bottom of the sixth inning — a home run that tallied the Cavaliers’ first two runs of the evening and spearheaded the rally.
“Definitely, the home run got our momentum started,” Spaulding said. “We were all a little down and were a little frustrated. But our team motto is UBUNTU, which means, ‘I am because we are.’ So I think you just have to keep pushing on for your teammates. Never give up. Keep on pushing, even if you don’t think there’s a possibility [to win].”
Tale of the tape
Circleville (3-1) took a 4-0 lead after the top of the first inning, thanks to four hits and a fielding error. Claire Davis hit a solo home run, Cara Cooper and Ella Michael each singled and scored, and Katie Folkes singled in a run.
The Tigers then went ahead 5-0 in the top of the third after a passed ball allowed a run to cross the plate before extending their edge further to 10-0 after 5 ½ innings — Cooper and Michael each drove in runs in the sixth before a wild pitch allowed a run to score.
But the Cavaliers, in the most dire of situations, never lost hope.
PHOTOS: Images from Chillicothe’s win over Circleville
After Julie Lemaster worked a walk, Riffe went yard to cut the deficit to 10-2.
“I was definitely, one-hundred percent nervous,” Riffe said. “I hit pretty bad yesterday, so coming into today, [I wanted to] hit well. She threw it low and I hit it and saw it go over the fence. I knew as soon as I hit it. It brought the momentum up and I knew we had a possibility to come back.”
Morgan Webb, Bree Cousins and Rhiley Sayers then all logged base hits before Alyssa Dudley was hit by a pitch. Vivian Morgan then drove in a run with a fielder’s choice, Spaulding singled in a run and Madison Harrod tallied a two-run single to bring Chillicothe within four runs at 10-6.
Circleville added an insurance run in the top half of the seventh but the Cavalier didn’t budge.
Trailing 11-6, Sayers worked a two-out walk before Dudley singled. Morgan then kept the two-out rally going with a two-run double, making it 11-8. After Spaulding and Harrod worked two more walks to load the bases, Lemaster sent a two-run single into the outfield grass.
Riffe then stepped to the dish and tied the game at 11-11 with an RBI single, completing, by all accounts, an improbable comeback.
“I was proud of the girls for the patience they showed at the plate,” Morgan said. “It resulted in disciplined at-bats and we ended up drawing quite a few walks. Then, the runs just started adding up.”
The Tigers, once again, added another run in the top half of the eighth inning. Cooper logged her third hit of the night, went station to station and eventually scored on a fielder’s choice.
But it was Chillicothe’s night to celebrate.
Cousins, Sayers and Dudley all walked to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth. Morgan reached on error, plating a run, before Spaulding’s heroics came into play, scoring Salyers and handing her Cavaliers a second victory in as many tries this spring.
“We have some depth with seven seniors and most of them are near the top of the lineup,” Morgan said. “They carry quite a bit of confidence with them. We started off slow tonight but we were still getting hits. We were just leaving runners on base without executing. But I’m excited for them. I knew they had this in them.”
Stat book
Statistically, Riffe had herself a day at the plate, finishing 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. Cousins was 3-for-4 with a double and a run, Harrod went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBIs, Spaulding ended the evening 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, and Morgan drove in three runs.
Circleville was led by Michael, who was 5-for-5 alongside three runs, a stolen base and an RBI. Davis followed, going 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs and two RBIs, and Cooper was 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI.
What’s on tap
While Circleville attempts to bounce back with a home date against Westfall on Wednesday, Chillicothe will host Vinton County at the same time.
That’s before a matchup with Southeastern on Thursday and a doubleheader with Zane Trace on Saturday. Needless to say, the Cavaliers’ season-opening week isn’t an easy one.
But so far — and especially after Tuesday’s victory — so good.
“I’m just extremely proud of the girls. No matter what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, I’m always proud of them,” Morgan said. “As long as they stay together, do their best and leave it all out on the field, that means more to me. We learn, we get experience and we get better each game.”
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