Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — Heading into the bottom of the third inning on Saturday, Piketon found itself in unfamiliar territory.
The Redstreaks’ usually powerful offense had been silenced in the second and Adena had, to that point, flashed its own lumber while building a 5-2 lead.
After beating the Warriors twice during the regular season, put simply, odds weren’t in Piketon’s favor.
But when Addy Blakeman sent her 13th home run of the year flying well over the left-center field fence — giving her team a 6-5 lead — order was restored.
“It’s so fun,” Blakeman said. “Throughout the lineup, with some teams you face, it’s sometimes like, ‘OK, this is an easier inning. Maybe three up, three down.’ With us, it’s never that.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Blakeman’s blast was the turning point of a wild 13-10 victory in a Division V district championship, marking the program’s second straight district crown.
“We knew we could hit off [Adena’s] pitchers because we’ve played them,” Piketon’s Briar Penwell said. “So, us being down 5-2, it just helped so much. The adrenaline, it was just so exciting. None of us got down. We were all just like, ‘Let’s go do it.’”
Penwell also played long ball on Saturday, and that was just one of the team’s 13 base hits.
But in the bottom of the first inning, it was junior Jaylin Forbes’ turn to go yard. She took the fifth pitch she saw over the left field awning for a 1-0 count to start the scoring festivities.
“Everybody cheers each other on and when one person gets on, we get hyped,” Forbes said. “It’s so fun. I was just trying to get on with a base hit, and then it hit my sweet spot. It felt good when I hit it, and I think it impacted the start of the game.”
Forbes’ solo bomb was followed with a sacrifice fly from Blakeman, making it 2-0.
Adena (21-9) answered quickly, though.
The Warriors forced a 2-2 tie going into the third, thanks to a fielding error and a sacrifice fly from Addy Cottrill. Then, in the third, Marly Halcomb scored on an error to give Adena a 3-2 lead.
That was just before Jo Jett, with a runner on, pulled out her launch pad and hit her 17th round-tripper of the year, pushing the lead to 5-2.
“Coaches just told us to lock in,” Forbes said. “They had confidence in us and we all had confidence in each other. That just helped us a lot.”
Forbes logged an RBI groundout in the bottom half of the inning before Blakeman went yard to put the Redstreaks back in front.
And from that point on, until the bottom of the seventh, it was all ‘Streaks.
Kenley Maynard logged an RBI double for a 7-5 count before Forbes and Penwell both knocked in runs to make it 9-5 in the fourth. When Penwell scored on a wild pitch in the same frame, Piketon had scored eight unanswered runs and led 10-5.
The Warriors didn’t go away easily, evidenced by an RBI double from Josie Mallow in the fifth, cutting the deficit to 10-6. But in the sixth, Penwell delivered the knockout punch with a towering three-run homer to push the lead to seven.
In the seventh, after a weather delay, Adena mounted a comeback attempt that included a four-run frame — courtesy of a double from Allie Bossert, a bases-loaded walk to Mallow, an RBI single from Kelsea Brown, and an RBI groundout via Alexis Blankenship.
But the hole was simply too deep to dig out of.
“I’m just proud of the way the girls played,” Piketon coach Mark Blakeman said. “They’ve worked hard all year for this and we’ve got even bigger goals this season. This was a great step to take in order to reach those goals. You can’t pitch around us. That’s for sure. One through nine, I feel confident in our lineup. If there’s one thing we can do, it’s hit the softball.”
Statistically, both teams filled out the box score with crooked numbers.
The Warriors were led by Jett, who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, four runs scored and two RBIs. Marly Halcomb followed with a 3-for-4 effort alongside a double, and Mallow ended the day 2-for-2 with a double, a run and two RBIs.
Penwell led the ‘Streaks with a 3-for-4 showing alongside a homer, four runs scored and three RBIs. Forbes followed, going 2-for-3 with a bomb, four runs scored and an RBI, and Blakeman went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBIs.
While Adena’s season comes to a close, Piketon advances to a Division V regional semifinal at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Indian Hill High School.
The Redstreaks will face Arcanum, who beat Williamsburg out of the Southwest District to advance.
“This definitely means a lot,” Forbes said. “I think, almost everyday at practice, we talk about how [winning back-to-back district titles] has never been done. And we talk about how we can make history at our school. That’s one of the biggest things that drives us to be how we are.”
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