Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
GROVEPORT — For a brief period late in Wednesday’s Division VII regional semifinal, the probability of Notre Dame escaping the seventh inning unscathed looked dim.
But as she had all day long, Ava Rush buckled in, took the steering wheel and drove her Titans to a victory.
Nursing a 3-1 lead with runners on second and third and the winning run at the plate, the sophomore induced a groundout, followed by a popout, to send her Titans into a Division VII regional championship game with a win over Conotton Valley.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“My job is to just throw strikes and trust my defense,” Rush said. “[Notre Dame] coach [Shad] Ford tells me that all the time. As long as I can control what I can control, I’m going to control it. These games don’t go the way they do without trusting my defense. Towards the end, it was a little rocky. But that’s nothing we can’t fix. It was just about staying cool, calm and collected.”
The victory clinches the program’s fourth consecutive trip.
However, it’s the first without Gwen Sparks or Kyndall Ford in the circle — both of whom are playing at the Division I collegiate level.
“We’re young. We have one starter that’s a senior,” Notre Dame coach Shad Ford said. “We told the girls that [Conotton Valley] was going to hit. That’s what happened. It was what we had in our game plan. We knew [Ava Rush] would strike out a couple here and there, but we needed to make plays and not throw the ball around behind her. I’m proud of them. They’re young but they’re growing up every game.”
It didn’t take long for the Titans (25-3) to grace the scoring column — and it was courtesy of the Entler sisters.
Senior Maddie Entler began the festivities by working a walk. Then, with one out, junior Kate Entler sent a ball screaming over the center field fence, making it 2-0 just three batters into the game.
PHOTOS: Images from Notre Dame’s regional win over Conotton Valley
“I told the team that we have Alayla [Soard] hitting the ball hard every game and I have to have Kate back there protecting her,” Ford said. “If you pitch around Alayla, you’re going to have to deal with Kate, and she’s going to make you pay for it. Kudos to her. That home run was a difference-maker.”
Conotton Valley (26-5) answered in the bottom of the second with a solo bomb from Maddison Kelley, cutting the Titans’ lead in half.
But ND’s Maycee Ford purchased insurance in the top of the fourth, providing an answer and knocking in Maddie Entler with an RBI single for a 3-1 count.
“It was big,” Ford said. “I thought we needed four runs to feel comfortable. But I think if we score three or four runs, we’re tough to beat. We got a couple of timely hits and [Maycee’s] was one of them.”
And, quite simply, that two-run lead was all Rush needed to finish the job.
Rush retired the Rockets in order in the bottom of the fifth, stranded a runner in the sixth and worked out of a jam in the seventh to slam the door shut.
“I think it’s just about staying hungry,” Rush said. “You’ve gotta want it just as much as anyone else. And we have to play for one another, cheering for whoever is up to bat, no matter where we’re at in the lineup. So it’s just staying hungry and working hard.”
Statistically, Maddie Entler led Notre Dame’s offensive efforts, going 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. All year long, Entler has set the table for her teammates and there was no difference in the biggest game of their season.
“This will be [Maddie’s] fourth regional title game now,” Ford said. “This is her team. It’s her senior year and it’s her legacy to leave. She’s been here and she’s led off the last three years for us. She’s a seasoned veteran and we rely heavily on her.”
Kate Entler chipped in with the aforementioned two-run homer, Lyndsey Schaefer was 2-for-4 with a double, Ford went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI, and Soard finished 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.
In the circle, Rush went the distance, surrendering an earned run on three hits while striking out five hitters.
The Titans will now look towards a Division VII regional final at 5 p.m., Friday at Groveport-Madison High School. There, they’ll take on Symmes Valley — a 4-1 winner over Newark Catholic.
“The main focus today was letting the girls be loose. I think that’s the loosest I’ve ever seen them,” Ford said. “They came out and set the tone. We got a lead, we were up and we just played loose. So Friday, we’re just going to treat it as another game. We’re not putting any extra pressure on us. We just have to worry about ourselves and not think about anything else other than that.”
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