Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
FRANKFORT — When Marly Halcomb is on fire, and it happens often, Adena is simply tough to beat.
With her team facing Zane Trace for the third time this season, this time in a Division V district quarterfinal, the SVC co-Player of the Year carried her momentum into the postseason and showed out at the plate in a win-or-go-home contest.
The junior went 3-for-3 and finished a triple shy of the cycle, driving in three runs in the process as her team pulled away from the Pioneers, posting a 20-1 final in five innings to advance into a district semifinal.
When the dust had settled, it was just another day at the office for Adena’s shortstop.
“[Halcomb] is consistent. She’s going to do the things it takes to win. She doesn’t change, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, she’s not going to change,” Adena coach Brad Jadwin said. “She comes 100 percent every night, and when she goes, she really sets the table for us.”
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
After Adena (19-8) left two Pioneers standing on base in the top of the first, Halcomb led off the home half with a walk before stealing second and advancing to third on a passed ball. From there, Josie Mallow drove her home on a bunt-single to give the Warriors the game’s first run.
Halcomb set the tone, and her team built off of that energy from there.
Mallow made her way to second before coming around to score on another passed ball. Then, after Jolyn Jett walked, Allie Bossert doubled to bring her home to add another to the count. Two more Warriors would round third and head home on an error, capping off a five-spot for Adena in the opening frame.
Zane Trace (8-16) wasn’t backing down easily, however.
Audrey Minshall reached second on an error to lead off the second and after advancing to third, Miley Odell grounded out to second to put the Pioneers on the board — cutting the deficit to 5-1.
That lone run didn’t bother the Warriors, though, as they picked up right where they left off with their bats.
Halcomb, again, led off the second and this time, she fired one down the right-field line and sped around the bases for an inside-the-park home run, extending the lead to 6-1.
And when Zane Trace tried to find an answer, Adena simply kept its foot on the gas.
With two outs and a runner on second, Bossert doubled for the second time to add another run to the count. Kelsea Brown followed that with an RBI triple before Alexis Blankenship added another with a single, giving Adena a 9-1 advantage going into the third.
“Really, the key is when Marly gets on and our two-hole hitter gets it down, then we can really bring the lumber up, and then things get fun,” Jadwin said. “We’re a diverse team. We can play small ball, and I guess we can hit home runs. I don’t teach that, but I guess we can do that well, too.”
Going right back to work in the third, Halcomb stood at the dish again with a runner in scoring position. Her bat stayed hot as she doubled to tack on another run. She’d score on a passed ball before Braelyn Ratzlaff scored on an error, pushing the lead to 12-1.
Then, Jett, Adena’s all-time leader in home runs, contributed once more to her milestone by sending her 16th bomb of the season flying over the fence in center for a solo shot.
“[Jett] has had an amazing season offensively. She’s seeing the ball well and it probably looks like a beach ball to her right now,” Jadwin said. “But I promise you, she’s not standing up there trying to just hit home runs. She’s just seeing the ball really well right now and catching it right in the grooves. She knows her job in the four-hole, and that’s to drive in runs.”
The Warriors would bat around in the third as Blankenship, Dalton, Halcomb and Ratzlaff all drove in runs to finish a nine-run inning as Adena’s lead widened to an 18-1 advantage.
Addy Cottrill drove in a pair of runs with a single in the bottom of the fourth, and she closed the door from the circle in the fifth to send the Warriors to Athens with a 20-1 victory.
“[Zane Trace] came in hot. They had won four of their last five, so we knew they were playing well. But we talked about the things we had to get done tonight,” Jadwin said. “Beating a team three times in one season is very tough. We just had to do the things we do well. Don’t try to get cute or fancy. Just play good defense and execute on offense.”
Following Halcomb’s performance at the plate was Blankenship, who finished 3-for-4 and drove in three runs. Bossert also went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two runs driven in while also earning the win from the circle. Brown was 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Jett finished 1-for-2 with her solo homer.
Zane Trace sees its season come to a close and says goodbye to five seniors — Izzy Nero, Carlie Clark, Emma Houston, Audrey Minshall and Kaydence Burkitt.
Adena will advance to Wednesday’s Division V district semifinal at Ohio University, with first pitch slated for 6 p.m. There, the Warriors will square off with Ironton, who knocked off Huntington to advance.
“That record doesn’t really indicate how good of a ball club Ironton is. They’ve played some enormously tough teams in their non-conference, so it will be a game of execution and a game in which whoever has the fewest errors wins,” Jadwin said. “They mirror us a little bit and we probably mirror them a little bit. They’ve got a couple studs on their ball club we’ve got to be careful with and I’m sure they’ll be careful with a couple of ours. It will be a great chess match and it will be a fun game to coach and a fun game to play in.”
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