Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LOGAN — Entering the bottom of the seventh inning on Thursday night, Gallia Academy assistant coach Wayne Bennett had a simple message to his team.
“We’re not done yet.”
Despite trailing by two runs, he believed his team could prevail and make history with the heart of the lineup coming to the plate in a do-or-die situation.
It took three swings for the Blue Angels to prove him right.
Chloe Bennett led off with a single, which led to Ava Angel drilling the game-tying home run, producing a 6-6 score.
“I had a moment with [Gallia Academy] coach Cierra [Roberts], and I told her that I’m going to be calm in the box, but swing to make contact with the ball,” Angel said. “I know that if you try for a home run, typically it’s not going to happen. So I always have the approach to just make hard contact. I did just that and it was a tie ballgame.”
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
And they still weren’t done yet.
Maggie Davis completed the improbable comeback with one wicked swing.
One swing.
Pandemonium. Celebration. Jubilation.
7-6 final.
“It’s something you dream about as a kid. Having that moment with the game on the line, and hitting a walk-off home run to win a championship, it’s such a surreal feeling,” Davis said. “Honestly, I don’t even know if I was seeing straight rounding the bases, but it was the best feeling in the world. I told myself not to swing at anything high and wait for the right one, and I saw the perfect one and smoked it. This win isn’t just for us, it’s for our community as well, who have given us such great support and that’s what it’s all about.”
The win marks the program’s first district championship since 2010 and what’s believed to be just the second-ever.
Angel and Davis were responsible for all seven Gallia Academy runs — all off home runs.
Angel finished 2-for-2 with two moonshots and three RBIs, while Davis went 2-for-4 with two bombs and four RBIs.
“To have those two seniors hit those home runs and bring the title back for us is so special,” Roberts said. “Maggie has had her share of injuries and has hardly played on the district stage because of it, so I’m glad she had this moment. They knew this game wasn’t over down two runs, kept their energy high and made the most of their chances.”
Angel didn’t wait to make her impact.
She stepped to the dish with two outs in the first inning and took an 0-1 offering into the trees, making it 1-0.
“I saw a fast ball on the first pitch, up and under my elbows, so I let it go,” Angel said. “I’m always thinking, ‘Next pitch.’ So I saw an off-speed pitch coming right where I wanted it and I took it for a ride.”
PHOTOS: Images from Gallia Academy’s district championship win over Waverly
Waverly (14-15) responded in the top of the second. After a walk to Whitley Brown, she eventually advanced to third on consecutive groundouts before a wild pitch scored her to tie the game at 1-1.
Following scoreless third and fourth innings, the Tigers saw a chance to take momentum and seized the opportunity in the fifth.
Lexi Smith came to the plate with an out and belted a solo shot just over the center field fence, giving Waverly its first lead at 2-1.
Then, a two-out error, followed by a hit by pitch, kept the inning alive. Brown notched an RBI groundout before a fielding error plated another run for a 4-1 advantage.
But, Gallia Academy provided a quick response.
Following a two-out single from Bennett and an intentional walk to Angel, it brought Davis to the dish. After fouling off the first pitch, she took the next for a high ride just inside the left foul pole for a three-run shot, tying the game at 4-4.
“I got a little nervous since I was down two pitches at the moment, but that’s also where I hit the best,” Davis said. “It was surreal running the bases and tying the game, and thankfully it stayed fair. We knew that we were on a mission to show people we belonged here and that gave us the energy we needed.”
Waverly stayed resilient, adding a run in the sixth thanks to an RBI groundout from Hayden Jones, and another in the seventh via an RBI single by Emma Nesser, taking a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Three outs was all Waverly needed. But the Blue Angels had other plans.
What started with Bennett ended with a trip around the bases for her and Angel, leading to Davis becoming a Blue Angel legend to complete the district championship comeback.
“We’ve been told all year this was never going to happen and we had no chance at winning a district title,” Angel said. “Look at us now, we made it and we did it.”
Statistically, Bennett earned the win in the circle, tossing 2 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out four batters. She also collected two hits on the evening.
For Waverly, Smith finished 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. She suffered the complete game loss, allowing seven runs and striking out seven batters. Brown was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Nesser and Jones had a hit and an RBI each.
Gallia Academy advances to a Division IV regional semifinal at 2 p.m. on Thursday against John Glenn, who won the East District to advance.
That game will be played at Philo High School.
“I’m so proud of these girls,” Roberts said. “And more importantly, I’m so happy that this ride isn’t over for the seniors.”
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