Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — Many softball programs around the state of Ohio would do anything for a district title — let alone, four in a row.
For Wheelersburg, winning a district isn’t a hope. It’s an expectation.
The Pirates have brought three consecutive district and regional crowns — and back-to-back state championships — back to Wheelersburg.
But still, they’re not satisfied.
‘Burg matched up with Fairfield at Ohio University in a Division III district final on Thursday night, looking to add to the illustrious run the program’s senior class has went on.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
With the game deadlocked at 2-2 in the third inning, the Pirates put up 13 unanswered runs — highlighted by home runs from senior Andi Jo Howard and junior Catie Boggs — allowing themselves to cruise to a fourth straight district title by a 15-2 final.
“I’m proud because I really don’t know that we played our cleanest and best game today, but we battled through it,” Wheelersburg coach Teresa Ruby said. “We didn’t let the pressure of the game or the expectations get to us. I was proud to see that we can not perform at our best and still be good enough.”
After neither team mustered any production in the first inning, Wheelersburg (20-2) got things going offensively in the bottom of the second.
With one out, Kaylynn Carter and Laken Wright singled on consecutive at-bats. After both moved into scoring position, Emma Smith drove them in with a two-run single, giving the Pirates an early 2-0 advantage.
“I knew everyone had communicated through the lineup what they were seeing,” Smith said. “I just took what they said and used it to my advantage at the plate. I just know how to get something going.”
It was still early, however, and Fairfield (19-8) wasn’t going down that easily.
With runners on first and third with two outs, Wheelersburg elected to intentionally walk Caitlyn Quickle and load the bases. That brought up Emmi Vance, who made the Pirates pay for the decision.
On a 2-1 count, Vance ripped a pitch straight down the right field line for a two-run single of her own to even the score at 2-2.
That, however, was nothing to Wheelersburg.
The two-time defending state champions knew that anything their opponents did, they could do better.
“We talk a lot about how, in tournament time, you’re going to play teams that are good. They’re going to give you a punch, and you have to be able to take that punch and respond,” coach Ruby said. “That’s what we did. You have to take advantage when they give you opportunities. [Fairfield] gave us a few opportunities. It’s about putting the ball in play and making things happen.”
Wheelersburg’s response? An 11-run half-inning.
After two runners had already reached, Sydney Skiver walked to load the bases. From there, Andi Jo Howard was hit by a pitch, bringing a runner in from third and putting the Pirates back in the lead.
And, from there, it was all Pirates.
Back-to-back fielder’s choices from Kaylynn Carter and Laken Wright brought in two more runs before Rileigh Lang drove in another after reaching on a fielding error. Ava Estep then allowed two more to reach home safely after the same result.
With the bases still loaded, Skiver delivered a sacrifice fly to make it a 10-2 lead for the Pirates before Howard put the exclamation point on the inning as she sent a ball high over the left field wall for a three-run shot, giving Wheelersburg a 13-2 into the fourth.
“I just think we just communicated what [Caitlyn Quickle] was throwing in the first inning. The first inning, she was getting us on some pitches,” Andi Jo Howard said. “Once we see her once or twice, we’re able to communicate and we took the pitches we were able to.”
After Fairfield went down in order in the top half of the fourth, Catie Boggs added to the total with a two-run moonshot, extending the lead to 15-2.
Carter, who went the distance in the circle, made light work of Fairfield’s hitters in the fifth, closing the book on yet another district title victory for Wheelersburg.
“This group has been together for a long time, and they know throughout that lineup that they don’t have to be the one every day,” coach Ruby said. “There’s always someone behind them who can pick them up. That confidence in each other is invaluable.”
Myers led the charge at the dish for Wheelersburg, going 3-for-4 and finishing a home run shy of the cycle. Howard finished 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs, while Boggs went 1-for-1 with the home run, two walks, and a hit-by-pitch. Skiver finished 1-for-2 with an RBI, and Smith finished 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Carter delivered four strikeouts and gave up two runs on four hits through five innings in the circle.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“[Catie] told me before my first at-bat what she was throwing and that really helped me out,” Howard said. “We all do hitting and stuff together all the time. It’s not all about the home runs, it’s about the people who were on base before.”
For Fairfield, Quickle went 1-for-1 with a double and a walk, and Vance finished 1-for-2 with a single while driving in the Lions’ only two runs of the day.
Wheelersburg advances to a regional semifinal, where it will face Byesville Meadowbrook. That contest is slated for a 2 p.m. start, Wednesday back at Ohio University.
“We’ll do some scouting and try to prepare the best we can,” coach Ruby said. “The bottom line, and the thing that we talk about the most, is that we want to be us. We don’t want to adjust anything we do to accommodate anything else. We’re going to be us, and hopefully next game we can settle in and play a little cleaner.”
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