By Cort Reynolds
ADA - Visiting Columbus Grove rallied late from a 7-1 deficit to nip Ada 9-8 in extra innings during a hard-fought Northwest Conference softball opener Wednesday evening.
Ada fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in NWC play with the hard to swallow defeat, while CG improved to 2-2 and 1-0 with the comeback win.
Ada scored in each of the first four innings to methodically build a six-run lead. Senior shortstop Brenna George started the scoring when she smacked a line drive over the center field wall with one out in the first inning.
In the home second, sophomore Kayla Wince swatted a one-out solo shot over the fence in right-center field to give Ada a 2-0 lead.
Senior hurler Leona Dalton breezed through the first three innings, striking out seven CG batters while pitching around a second-inning double down the left field line off the bat of Cheyanne Mershman.
Dalton doubled off the base of the fence in the home third with one out to start a rally.
Junior Lexi White grounded a single to left field to score Dalton. White came around to score later on a wild pitch that built the lead to 4-0.
Grove finally got on the board in the top of the fourth frame. With two out and no one on, Mershman golfed a long drive over the center field fence to make it 4-1.
In the Ada fourth, Daicy Robinson singled sharply up the middle and was replaced on the basepaths by pinch runner Karmen Hall. Hall stole second, and White singled to left field.
George plated Hall with an infield single deep in the hole at shortstop. Grove brought in a reliever but after a steal and a wild pitch, White slid home safely for a 6-1 cushion.
Katie Sizemore then sliced a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in George and provide a 7-1 margin. After hitting two Ada batters, Grove escaped without allowing any more runners.
In the top of the fifth, CG put together a big two-out rally. An infield hit to shortstop and a hit batter ignited the momentum-changing frame. Madison Zimmerly stroked a two-run single to cut the Ada lead to 7-3.
An error, bloop single to center and an intentional walk loaded the bases at 7-4. Two runs scored on a misplayed grounder when the throw from shortstop to second was late and bounced away, allowing Grove to pull within 7-6.
Dalton escaped any more damage on a soft lineout to shortstop.
"The fifth inning kind of switched the momentum," agreed Ada head coach Rebecca Dicke. "We had a couple of errors, made a couple mental errors and it got away from us."
In the bottom of the fifth, freshman Robinson lined a two-out single to center field. Hall again pinch-ran, stole a base and scored on an error to give Ada an 8-6 edge.
In the visitors sixth, a one-out bunt single by Kam Utendorft was followed by an infield hit from Shay Schroeder to third base. After Dalton got a strikeout, Grove scored on a passed ball to edge within 8-7.
In the home sixth, catcher Alexis Waugh drew a two-out walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. But she was stranded there on a groundout to second base.
Grove immediately tied it up 8-8 in the top of the seventh when Gwen Langhals led off with a home run over the left field fence. Dalton pitched around an error with a strikeout as CG moved the lead run into scoring position.
The third out was recorded on a pop-out to third base.
In the bottom of the seventh, Tori Green beat out an infield single on a grounder to shortstop with one out. The speedy Green stole second base and moved on to third when the catcher's throw sailed into center field.
But Hall struck out, and White was called out for stepping on the plate trying to bunt to force extra innings.
In the Grove eighth, Utendorft led off with an infield single. She stole two bases and scored on a wild pitch to give CG its first lead at 9-8.
Grace Selhorst tripled off the base of the right field wall, but Dalton stranded her on a pop-out to second base.
In the bottom of the eighth George led off with a strikeout. Sizemore smoked a line drive but right at the center fielder, who gloved it for the second out.
Dalton then lifted a high fly ball to medium depth left-center field for the final out.
Ada senior outfielder Green batted 2-4 with two singles. Robinson hit 2-3 with a pair of hard-hit singles.
Waugh got hit by a pitch and walked once. George and Wince each hit solo home runs.
Dalton struck out 13 and walked two, one intentional. She gave up seven earned runs. She also swatted a double.
"I thought we left a few too many runners on base (7)," noted Dicke. "We left three on third base and three on second; we have to punch those runs in when they are in scoring position. We need to see more consistency in the middle of the lineup."
Ada went scoreless in its last three at bats.
"The girls are continuing to improve but we had that one bad inning," summed up Dicke. "They scored those runs with two outs, which changed the momentum and we couldn't get it back.
"Overall, we are two pretty evenly matched teams," she added.
Utendorft collected four singles for Grove, while Mershman homered and doubled. Langhals hit a homer and singled. Mershman earned the pitching win with 4 2/3 innings of strong relief, allowing just one run.
Ada was narrowly out-hit by the Grove girls, 10-9.
123 456 78 R H E
CG 000 151 11 9 10 2
Ada 112 310 00 8 9 3
WP-Mershman LP-Dalton (2-2)
2B-Dalton (A), Mershman (CG)
3B-Selhorst (CG)
HR-George (A), Wince (A), Mershman (CG), Langhals (CG)
Ada hosts Arlington (0-1) in a non-league doubleheader Saturday. The Bulldogs then resume NWC play at Bluffton (0-5) Monday, April 12.
