John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — After falling to Lynchburg-Clay twice in the regular season, Peebles had a chance to earn the ultimate revenge in Wednesday’s Division VI district semifinal at Unioto.
And behind a brilliant pitching performance from Kaelyn Musser, alongside a five-run sixth inning, the Indians did just that, advancing into Friday’s district championship game with a 7-2 win over the Mustangs.
CREDIT: Lillie Snyder/SOSA
Peebles (6-14) got off to a fast start and that was centered around a one-out double from Kendall Myers in the top of the first inning. Following an out, Musser stepped to the plate where she crushed an elevated 3-2 pitch over the center field fence for her second home run of the spring, giving her team a quick two-run lead.
“It was great. I knew I had to get a solid hit to get the runners in to get on the board first,” Musser said.
But the Mustangs immediatley provided an answer.
Audrey Barry jump-started LC’s offense with an infield hit in the bottom of the first before scoring on an opposite field double from Aubrey Roberts. Two batters later, the Mustangs drew even when Noel Barnhill grounded out to bring Roberts across for a 2-2 tie.
Barnhill and Musser each settled down in the circle following the rocky first innings, trading zeroes on the scoreboard throughout the next four innings with neither team mounting much of a threat until the bottom of the fifth.
A two-out double from Barry looked to spark the Mustangs, but on a groundball from Roberts that reached the outfield, Barry would be called for interference after incidental contact with an Indian fielder.
That quick momentum swing carried over into the top of the sixth when Peebles busted the game open with multiple key hits and several LC defensive miscues.
Amryn Carroll started the inning by reaching on an error before Myers scorched a base hit into left field. After an out and a passed ball advanced the runners, Musser pushed Carroll across on a fielder’s choice to make it a 3-2 count.
Kendall Young then smoked a two-run double down the third base line to score Myers and Musser to extend the lead, before she advanced to third on a double from Reese Davis.
After it appeared that she had struck out, Aleah Purcell was determined to have held up on a previous pitch, giving the junior another crack at driving in Davis and Young. She fouled off the next pitch before lacing a 2-2 offering to the center field fence, giving the Indians a five-run cushion heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Despite falling to the Mustangs twice in the regular season, Peebles found itself only six outs from the program’s first district final appearance since 2021. Musser worked around a two-out double from Reese Ruble in the sixth and two hits in the seventh, thanks in part to turning a double play on a popup and inducing a fielder’s choice before closing out the win and sparking the celebration for a youth-laden Indian roster.
Barnhill threw well, but was stymied by a pair of errors that led to five unearned runs in that sixth inning. The junior flamethrower finished her night with 12 strikeouts and an RBI on the offensive side. Barry and Roberts led the Mustangs with two hits and a double each.
The loss marked the fifth straight for the Mustangs (14-9) after winning 14 of their first 17 games. However, LC did get back in the win column on Thursday, beating Eastern Brown to win the outright SHAC I championship.
Musser struck out four and gave up only two earned runs in the win for Peebles. The junior also knocked in three runs to lead the offense. Myers did an outstanding job behind the plate, while adding two hits, two runs and a double on the offensive side.
“I knew [Lynchburg-Clay] was pretty solid,” Musser said. “The first two times [the teams played], I threw a lot outside and they jumped on that. So I knew I needed to move the ball in. Then, they struggled up in the zone, so I moved it up.”
Peebles will be looking for their third district title in the past six seasons when they battle with Coal Grove — a 7-4 winner over South Webster — at 6 p.m., Friday at Unioto.
“I’m just so glad. We knew coming in that we wanted to beat them,” Musser said. “We didn’t want to give them another game to demolish us. I knew they were coming in thinking they would be top dogs. But we just needed to come out and score runs.”
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