Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
AKRON — Consider this year as Wheelersburg’s revenge tour.
27 teams have tried to knock off the Pirates, and 27 teams have failed.
Now, they sit one game away from reclaiming their throne.
The Pirates (27-0) scored in every inning, capping the night with a five-run fifth, to make quick work of Oak Harbor by a 15-2 final in Thursday’s Division V state semifinal at Firestone Stadium.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
“We came out with great energy and focus from the very first pitch,” Wheelersburg coach Teresa Ruby said. “One of our talking points was making [Oak Harbor pitcher Morgan Lalonde] work in the zone. We had some great at-bats and played defense really well. As far as I’m concerned, this was a perfect game by the girls.”
They’ll now play in their third state championship in the last four seasons.
“I remember walking off the field last year in our regional final loss, and my first thought was I never want to have this feeling again,” Wheelersburg’s Kaylynn Carter said. “The next thought was I wanted to make it back to state. I wanted to bring this experience to the other girls who should know what it feels like to play on this field, on this stage, because it’s really special.”
Wheelersburg batted first and didn’t waste the opportunity to strike.
Ava Estep led off the inning with a double and scored off a fielding error to put the Pirates on the board. Three batters later, Laken Wright roped a two-run double into left-center field, extending the lead to 3-0.
Oak Harbor (24-7) managed to get a run back on an RBI groundout from Tatum Baumgartner in the bottom half, but the Pirates just kept creating distance.
Following a leadoff single, Mylee Jo Gleim laced an RBI single into deep left field. That set the stage for Catie Boggs, who sent a two-run blast over the right field fence to push the lead to 6-1.
The Pirates continued to roll, scoring twice more in the third off another fielding error. Although the Rockets got a run back from an RBI single from Haylee Robinson, ‘Burg responded with back-to-back RBI doubles from Wright and Emma Smith, pushing the lead to 10-2.
“I started recently taking some extra swings on my own time in the fox hole we have back home,” Wright said. “Once you get into the tournament, you have to lock in so much harder than the regular season. Ultimately, it came down to doing those extra things for my team, myself and the community, because we want to win it for them.”
Not wanting to extend the game any further than it needed to be, the Pirates put the finishing touches on the Rockets’ season in the fifth.
With the bases loaded, Boggs laced a two-run double into center field. That was followed by Carter taking the first pitch over the left-center field fence for a three-run blast, before she eventually notched the final three outs to punch yet another state championship ticket.
“I really wanted to be aggressive with the chance, but I also needed to make an adjustment during my at-bat,” Carter said. “I got on in my first at-bat, but I wasn’t hitting the ball the way I wanted to. I focused more on seeing the top of the ball and seeing it deeper into the box before turning on it.”
Carter earned the win in the circle, tossing all five innings and allowing just one earned run. She also went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
Wright finished 4-for-4 with three doubles and four RBIs, Boggs was 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs, Smith finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Gleim was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Wheelersburg advances to the Division V state championship, where it’ll match up against Liberty Union — a 4-2 winner over Akron Manchester.
That game will happen at 8 p.m., Friday at Akron’s Firestone Stadium.
“We’re proud of what we’ve done the last four years, just like I’m sure they’re proud as well,” Wright said. “We won state back-to-back, and they won last year. We’re a different team and so are they. It’s going to be an exciting time and a great atmosphere to play in.”
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