Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — Small ball at its finest.
Adena didn’t need to rely on its defense. The Warriors had more than enough offense and team speed to get the sweetest measure of revenge on Monday.
Churning out 18 hits and scoring five runs in the seventh as extra insurance, Adena (17-7) sealed a 12-5 victory over Meigs in a Division V district semifinal at Ohio University.
“We played Meigs in our fifth game of the year, and they handled us pretty well. There were a lot of things that we were still working on and we completely changed since then,” Adena coach Brad Jadwin said. “Meigs has a really good pitcher, so we went for the small ball approach and were going to stay that way until they showed they could defend it. The girls executed very well, took some really good swings when they got the chance and played an all-around good game.”
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
Most of the team’s 18 hits came via bunts.
The ability to lay down a perfect bunt resulted in either a base runner or a run scored on 10 different occasions throughout the game.
“Everybody on the team knows how to bunt, and we’ve been able to win a lot of games because of how we’ve executed in bunt situations,” Adena’s Adriana Guarnieri said. “It can create some chaos, especially since teams don’t know how to react when we get on and then get aggressive by second, so it’s worked out well for us.”
Guarnieri reached base in the top of the first on a dropped third strike. Following a single from Allie Bossert that moved her to third, she scored on a passed ball to put the Warriors ahead 1-0.
Following two scoreless innings, Guarnieri led off the fourth with a triple and scored off an RBI single from Bossert to extend the lead to 2-0.
Meigs (18-7) responded in the bottom half, though, as Shelby Yost smoked a two-run single into center field, tying the game at 2-2.
That’s where small ball entered the picture.
After three straight bunt singles loaded the bases, Guarnieri stepped to the dish and deposited the first pitch into center field for a two-run single and a 4-2 advantage.
PHOTOS: Images from Adena’s district semifinal win over Meigs
“It was getting deep into the game, so the pitches were a little bit more down the middle, compared to the previous couple of innings,” Guarnieri said. “The main thing was that my coaches just told me to get the ball down and do whatever I needed to get a run or two across the plate, since we needed some runs. So I was ready to attack.”
Three batters later, with runners on second and third, Alexis Blankenship laid down a bunt to score another run and push the lead to 5-2.
In the next inning, with a runner on, Marly Halcomb logged an RBI double and later scored on a sacrifice bunt from Guarnieri for a 7-2 ballgame.
Meigs got a run back via an RBI single from Yost, but Adena blew the game wide open in the top of the seventh.
Following a leadoff double from Jolyn Jett and back-to-back bunt singles to load the bases, Kelsea Brown laid down a bunt to score Jett for the RBI single. Halcomb then stepped up and, on the first pitch she saw, smacked a grand slam over the left field fence to make it 12-3.
Meigs scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the damage was already done as the Warriors punched their second district final ticket in three seasons.
“I got behind in the count in my first two at-bats and I wasn’t making very good adjustments,” Halcomb said. “I knew that I had to hit a hard line drive, especially since the bases were loaded. The goal was making contact somewhere and I did just that.”
Halcomb finished the night 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and five RBIs while Guarnieri was 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs. Blankenship was 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Brown and Bossert each went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
For Meigs, Yost finished 2-for-4 for three RBIs and Aubrey Newell was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
While Meigs’ season comes to a close, Adena returns to action on Thursday in a Division V district final against top-seeded and undefeated Wheelersburg, who blanked Rock Hill to advance.
“Our defense was on point today, so that also played a key factor in us winning,” Adena’s Addy Cottrill, who earned the win in the circle, said. “We have to continue that on Thursday and keep executing in the field to give ourselves the best chance to win.”
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