Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Put simply, Notre Dame doesn’t play in a ton of close ballgames.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
The Titans, who have been dominant per usual this spring, came into Thursday’s contest with 14 wins — 13 of which had come by four or more runs.
Chillicothe didn’t seem to get that memo.
The Cavaliers gave Notre Dame everything it wanted and then some. But the Titans still managed to find a route to a 2-1 road victory in a pitcher’s duel.
“A win is always good and I don’t care what the score is,” Notre Dame coach Shad Ford said. “[Chillicothe] was amped up and excited and they wanted to win this game for their seniors. We got one run in the first and that was it until the sixth. I knew Chillicothe would be a dogfight. They’re well-coached, they’ve got some power, some speed and they’re just a good team.”
Once the Titans (15-4) scored, starting pitcher Kyndall Ford went to work.
The junior hurled an absolute gem, working all seven innings while allowing just two hits and striking out 11 hitters.
That performance came against a senior-laden lineup that’s proven its ability to make contact all season.
“The defense really worked well behind her,” Ford said. “Sometimes, in the league, we don’t get a lot of hits against us. We want challenges like tonight and that’s why we put Chillicothe on the schedule. Tonight, [Kyndall Ford] kind of struggled with her change-up and was a little but one-dimensional. But she moved it in and out, and up and down. She got the job done and that’s credit to the defense behind her.”
Almost immediately, Notre Dame lit up the scoreboard.
Maddie Entler and Kyndall Ford led off the top of the first inning with back-to-back singles before Entler scored on an RBI groundout via Libby Kelly for a 1-0 tally.
And that’s all she wrote until the later innings.
PHOTOS: Images from Notre Dame’s win over Chillicothe
Ford and fellow starter Morgan Webb proceeded to mow each other’s lineups down, hanging zeroes in four consecutive frames.
Then, Chillicothe (11-10) broke that trend in the bottom of the sixth.
Freshman shortstop Vivian Morgan logged a one-out base hit before Mikayla Spaulding reached on error to put two runners in scoring position. Two batters later, catcher Julie Lemaster singled with two outs to score Morgan and force a 1-1 tie.
That’s, however, where the threat ended.
Ford tallied a strikeout to end the inning before Notre Dame took advantage of an opportunity in the seventh after dodging a bullet.
Pinch hitter Gwen Sparks led off the top of the final frame with a walk before Entler doubled. Two hitters later, Alaya Soard singled to score Maycee Ford — who had re-entered for Sparks — to put Notre Dame ahead 2-1.
That’s all the momentum Ford needed to retire the side in the seventh, which included a groundout and two whiffs, to seal the deal on a Titan victory.
Offensively, as she’s done all year long, Entler led the Titans. The sophomore was 2-for-4 with a game-changing double and a run scored.
“Last year, [Entler] hit pretty good for us,” Ford said. “This year, after week one, we really didn’t have a true leadoff hitter and we put her there. I don’t know what her batting average is but she has led the team every night. She’s done her job really well.”
Following Entler was Ford, who was 2-for-4, while Lyndsey Schaefer and Kate Entler also logged two base hits. Soard and Kelly were responsible for the team’s two RBIs.
As for Chillicothe, Lemaster was 1-for-3 with an RBI while Morgan went 1-for-3 with a run.
The Cavaliers will now attempt to bounce back on Tuesday, hosting Logan, while the Titans get back to action at Fairfield on Monday.
“We have to get better at base-running,” Ford said. “That’s absolutely killed us. I know we’ve got freshmen and sophomores but we have to make sure we don’t get doubled up. We can play small ball some, and we still have some power, but for this team to reach its ceiling, it’s about buying in and kicking that door down and going to the state tournament. That’s the ceiling. I don’t see why it can’t be us.”
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