John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LOGAN — Behind a mix of defense, pitching and timely hitting, Waverly is back in a district championship game for the first time since 2019.
Lexi Smith struck out seven while Addi Hudnell’s three-run blast in the top of the fourth inning was enough to push the Tigers (14-14) past South Point by a 5-3 final on Monday in Division IV tournament action.
Waverly, an eight seed in the Southeast District, has now knocked off No. 1 and No. 4.
It looked as though the Tigers were going to jump out to a quick lead.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Smith reached on an error to start the night before consecutive singles from Hayden Jones and Ava Robertson loaded the bases in the top of the first. But that’s when South Point’s super sophomore Kota Copley bore down, inducing an infield fly before striking out the next two hitters to end the threat.
After a quick bottom half with two strikeouts from Smith in the circle, the Tigers went back to work with a one-out single from Emma Nesser before Smith came through with a two-out double to left to score a streaking Nesser, making it 1-0. Following a walk to Jones, Robertson came through with a base hit to score Smith and give Waverly a 2-0 advantage.
“She’s a very dangerous hitter,” Smith said of Robertson. “People are scared to pitch to her. Just having her in the lineup is a boost for us because they try to pitch around her. They watch for her. She’s very big for our team.”
In the bottom of the third, South Point (19-9) finally got going with Kota Copley lacing a two-out line drive into center field for the team’s first hit of the night. Then, Adyson Copley crushed a 3-2 pitch off the scoreboard to tie the game at 2-2.
“That was the one outside [pitch] that I threw to a righty,” Smith said of the pitch that Copley hit out of the park, with a laugh. “So we didn’t do that the rest of the game. We stayed inside and kept them off base.”
The Tigers answered in a major way in their half of the fourth with Jones starting the action with a two-out double. Robertson then drew a four-pitch walk to set up Hudnell’s heroics.
She connected with the first pitch she saw and lifted it high to straightaway center field. With Copley going back to the fence, fans weren’t sure if the wind was going to keep it in the yard.
But Hudnell’s ball just cleared the fence for her 10th home run of the season, setting a new program single-season record and, most importantly, giving the Tigers a 5-2 lead.
“I wasn’t coming in here really looking for a home run,” Hudnell said of her homer. “I was maybe looking for an RBI to help my team advance in the tournament. As soon as I hit that ball, I knew where it was going. It is just a surreal feeling.”
Now with a three-run cushion, Smith started to settle in, sitting down the next seven South Point batters she faced. Working the inner half on the right-handed Pointers continued to draw weak contact, allowing her defense to make plays while keeping SP off-balance.
“It gives me confidence that they are going to execute the game plan and are going to believe in it,” Waverly coach Scott Hayes said of his team’s buy-in to the game plan. “Lex is the leader and had the first response. She bought in and the rest have followed. We did it against Jackson, and again tonight. The kids are having success and want more.”
SP’s Kota Copley began the bottom of the sixth with her second hit of the night, giving the Pointers a leadoff batter on base for the first time in the ball game. She’d advance to second when Adyson Copley reached on error to give the Pointers a bit of life.
But, Smith stepped up in a huge way, winning the next at-bat with a 10-pitch strikeout before inducing a soft flyball to pick up a second out. On the very next pitch, it appeared that Smith had escaped another jam, but a bobble allowed all runners to be safe, loading the bases.
On an 0-2 pitch, Smith’s next pitch was mishandled, allowing Kota Copley to scamper home and cut the deficit to 5-3. Smith locked in, though, painting the outside corner two pitches later for a called third strike to strand the tying run at second base.
South Point had three outs to play with and was just hoping to get one on base to bring the top of the order back up, which immediately happened thanks to an error.
Two batters and two outs later brought Kota Copley to the plate. The sophomore, who had the fourth-most hits in a single season in Southeast District history this spring, is as dangerous as any hitter in the state.
But, Smith kept her off-balance and didn’t allow her to change the game when it mattered the most. A deep fly ball settled into Jones’ glove at the base of the warning track and gave the Tigers another upset victory.
The top half of the Tigers’ lineup went a combined 8-for-16 in the game with three extra-base hits, three runs scored and five RBIs.
“It’s pick your poison with them [Robertson and Hudnell],” Hayes said of his lineup. “And when Lexi [Smith] and Hayden [Jones] are setting the table, putting pressure on the other team, it all works together very well. It’s quite the blessing to have that lineup with how it all works out.”
The Pointers close their season, but will return several key pieces to their lineup next spring, including both Copley sisters and shortstop Kaylee Stidham as they look to make an further run.
For Waverly, the job isn’t done yet.
The Tigers have the chance to become only the second team in program history to win a district championship when they lace up the cleats again on Thursday.
They’ll have to wait at least one more day as Monday’s instant classic between Gallia Academy and Logan Elm, tied at 12-12, was suspended due to darkness and will conclude on Tuesday night.
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