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PICKERINGTON — To put it in the simplest terms possible: when Notre Dame scored its first run on Wednesday, the Titans had all but won the ballgame with Gwen Sparks in the circle.
The Titans’ star pitcher and Pittsburgh University commit shined on a muggy day, striking out 10 hitters and allowing just two hits.
Her gem, alongside a dominant offensive showing from her teammates, powered the Titans (24-4) to a 10-0 victory over Mechanicsburg (19-5) in a Division IV regional semifinal.
The Titans continue to roll.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“[Mechanicsburg] is a good team,” Notre Dame Shad Ford said. “They’re senior-heavy and they had one going to Florida State. They’re well-coached. To beat them 10-0, we put the ball in play and put pressure on them. We made them make plays, threw strikes and played great defense. Overall, it was a good day for us.”
While Sparks needed just one run to pick up a victory, her friends in the dugout gave her nine more for good measure.
Overall, Notre Dame pounded out 11 hits — five of which went for extra bases.
“We hit a lot this week,” Ford said. “We even did some double-hitting. We’d hit at like 4 p.m., eat some pizza and then come back at 7 to hit again. I told the coaches that it paid off. If it wasn’t for our assistant coaches pushing our girls to take swings … I mean the girls owe a lot to them. We put a ton of work in this week and it paid off.”
The Titans wasted no time gracing the scoreboard.
In the top of the first inning, Kyndall Ford got the party started with an RBI single before Lyndsey Schaefer made it a 2-0 game with an RBI double that scored Ford.
That advantage swelled to 6-0 in the fourth.
Sparks led off the inning with a double before scoring on an RBI single from Kate Entler. Maddie Entler then reached base on a dropped third strike, setting the scene for Alayla Soard’s three-run, no-doubt homer to make it a six-run lead.
In the fifth, more of the same took place.
Sparks worked a one-out walk before Ava Rush reached on error. Later, with two runners on and two outs, Bella Rush doubled for an 8-0 tally. Maddie Entler then singled, scoring Rush, just before scoring herself on an RBI single from Maycee Ford — rounding out the final.
Sparks then slammed the door shut in the bottom half, inducing a fly out to seal the run-rule victory.
“[Sparks] pitched a great ballgame,” Ford said. “She had 10 strikeouts out of 15 outs. When they put the ball in play, we fielded it. So kudos to both her and our defense. Kate, back there on a hot day, and Gwen pitching … Overall, our team effort was outstanding.”
Statistically, Soard finished 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Rush ended the night 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run scored while Maycee Ford ended the day 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI.
In total, eight players had at least one hit.
The Titans now advance to a Division IV regional championship game at 5 p.m., Friday at Pickerington Central High School.
They’ll be meeting a familiar foe in Strasburg-Franklin, who beat Valley on Wednesday to advance. In last year’s DIV regional final, the Tigers topped ND by an 8-4 final before going on to win the state title.
“We have a chance on Friday,” Ford said. “We’ve used the slogan ‘Be better’ all year long. We’re going to make errors, we’re going to make mistakes. But it’s the next play where you have to be better. We can’t have innings where we’re giving up three or four runs. If we make an error, it’s, ‘OK, let’s be better the next play.’ It’s a tough game. But we have to be better when we can.”
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