Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
FRANKFORT — 11 years is a long time to wait to win a conference title.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
But what Adena did on Friday night in a winner-take-all situation made every bit of that wait worthwhile.
After digging a 2-0 hole out of the gates, the Warriors (20-3, 13-1 SVC) regrouped and refueled before handing Unioto (20-3, 12-2 SVC) a 6-2 loss in a rematch of two conference titans.
Not so long ago, on April 19 to be exact, the Shermans handed Adena a 15-5 loss to take a stranglehold on the league title race. But when Zane Trace beat Unioto on Thursday, it gave the Warriors a chance to win an outright championship.
They answered the door when opportunity knocked.
“It’s almost like deja vu,” Adena coach Brad Jadwin said. “Last year, we went down to Unioto and they run-ruled us. But for the last three years, we’ve split. This year, we got run-ruled, 15-5. That was a message to the kids and it was like, ‘Hey, if this goes according to the plan, we split every year. So why not split again this year?’ Zane Trace beat Unioto and that was a gift. But we couldn’t be happier with how this turned out.”
To get back into the game, Adena executed something it’s done well all year long — small ball.
Jadwin’s group consistently reached base however they could. Then, they moved runners over before, eventually, driving them across the dish.
“[Playing small ball] is our M.O. We’re not trying to fool anybody,” Jadwin said. “These girls have bought into it and they’re not [bunting] for sacrifices. They’re trying to get on base. That’s the difference. I’m not taking the bat out of their hands. Instead, they welcome that opportunity. So we weren’t going to change that part of our game.”
PHOTOS: Images from Adena’s win over Unioto
Following the top of a first inning where Unioto’s Abbie Marshall hit a towering two-run homer over the left field fence, the Warriors began to chip away at the deficit.
Kiera Williams and Emma Garrison each logged one-out singles in the bottom half before Caelan Miner was hit by a pitch. Greenlee Bossert then grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Williams and cutting the Shermans’ lead in half.
In the second, Adena forced a 2-2 tie when leadoff spot Adriana Guarnieri knocked in a run.
Then, in their next at-bat, the Warriors put up a two-spot — thanks to Bossert’s second RBI and a wild pitch that brought Miner across the dish — to take the lead for good.
From there, Bossert went to work in the circle.
After surrendering the first inning home run, she was lights out. Through seven innings, the senior gave up just four hits, allowing two runs and striking out the game’s final batter.
“You find [those types of performances] out of seniors,” Jadwin said. “That home run ball that Marshall hit still might be going. That ball was launched. But [Bossert] never wavered. We’ve been down before and we didn’t waver.”
With Bossert cruising in the circle, the Warriors purchased extra insurance in the fifth inning.
Williams doubled, stole third and scored on an errant throw while Bossert reached base with a single before scoring on Unioto’s third error of the evening — producing the 6-2 final.
“We know how momentum goes and it shifted tonight,” Jadwin said. “Once we took the lead, I started seeing momentum shift into our dugout. It was a good night. And you always want momentum on your side going into a tournament run. But these girls are having fun right now.”
Alongside her pitching numbers, Bossert was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs while Williams went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored. Guarnieri also helped out, going 2-for-4 with an RBI while Garrison finished 1-for-3 with a run.
Unioto was led by Marshall, who finished 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, while Morgan Daniels chipped in with a 2-for-3 effort alongside a run.
While the Shermans get ready for tournament play against either Waverly or Marietta on May 10, Adena has a one last regular season matchup lined up with Fairfield Union on Monday.
“We just want to try and stay loose,” Jadwin said. “We don’t want to sit out a week before playing again. We’ll throw another girl because you never know when Greenlee may need help in the circle. We always need two or three girls ready to go.”
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