Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LOGAN — Bryn Denny admitted that Jackson simply wasn’t ready late in the season last spring, which led to the team’s home tournament loss to Waverly.
And while that loss may not have been the main motivating factor on Wednesday, it certainly helped fuel the Ironladies’ cause.
Behind a three-hit shutout from Serenity Taylor, the Ironladies (20-6) made amends for last season’s shortcomings and earned a 5-0 victory over the Tigers in a Division IV district semifinal.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“We played Waverly in the first game of our season, but playing them again in the tournament with a lot of freshmen, you worry about them having some nerves,” Jackson coach Brandon Stevens said. “We were putting the bat on the ball and Serenity threw a great game. I loved seeing us compete all around, and good things happen when you don’t cheat the game.”
Taylor’s dominance in the circle, highlighted by 14 strikeouts, propelled the Ironladies into their first district final appearance since 2013.
“Year after year, since we took over the program, we’ve raised the bar and we want this season to be the expectation moving forward,” Stevens said. “Winning all of these games, playing in a district final, this should be the standard because we have a lot of talented players and I want these girls to feel what it’s like to be successful on the field.”
Waverly (9-14) nearly escaped trouble in the first inning, but it committed a two-out fielding error and Jackson made the Tigers pay when K.J. Worsham stepped to the dish and roped a deep RBI single into left-center field, making it 1-0.
PHOTOS: Images from Jackson’s district semifinal win over Waverly
The Tigers just simply couldn’t get out of their own way.
With two outs and two runners on in the bottom of the second, they committed another fielding error that scored both Jackson runners. That was followed by an RBI double from Denny, extending the lead to 4-0.
“My brother has always told me to jump on the first thing I see, so I immediately went for it on the first pitch I saw,” Denny said. “I try to keep that mentality every time I step into the box. I haven’t been seeing the ball really well over the last few games, so I’m just playing with the mindset of see ball, hit ball.
From that point on, it was all about Taylor in the circle with her defense making plays behind her. The Ironladies coasted through the remainder of the night.
Jackson got an additional run in the sixth after Izzy Swisher laced an RBI single up the middle, making it 5-0, before Taylor notched strikeouts 13 and 14 to close the night and give the Ironladies their 20th win on the year, setting a new school record.
“We’ve all played with one another for years, going back to when we all first started playing the game. So there’s a level of trust we all have from the freshmen to the seniors,” Taylor said. “We’re all great friends on and off the field, and all of our abilities coming together have helped us put this season together.”
Following Taylor’s night in the circle, Worsham, Denny and Swisher each finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.
As Waverly’s season comes to a close, Jackson advances to a Division IV district final at 3 p.m. on Friday at Logan High School against Logan Elm, who defeated Gallia Academy to advance.
“We’re going to see one heck of a pitcher who can really spin the ball, so we have to be ready for that,” Stevens said. “There are some adjustments at the plate we’re going to make and we have to execute. This was a great win, and we hope to do it again on Friday.”
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