Photos and story by Cort Reynolds
ADA - The host Ada softball team built an eight-run lead then staved off a late comeback to defeat spunky county rival Hardin Northern 11-9 in a first round Div. IV sectional slugfest Monday evening.
Ada improved to 11-11 this season with the wild tournament win, while HN fell to 1-16-1 with the loss. The Lady Bulldogs advance to the tournament's second round May 13 at Wayne Trace.
"I think we came out strong and got on top," said Ada head coach Rebecca Dicke. "Then the momentum shifted, and we had to really work through it and make some defensive plays to win. Those momentum shifts can be deadly."
Ada methodically built a 9-1 cushion after three innings, and appeared poised to cruise to victory. But HN refused to fold and rallied late.
Down 11-3 after four frames, the Lady Polar Bears plated six unanswered runs and had the tying run at the plate with two out in the final inning.
Kylee Legge sent a deep, line-drive fly ball to center field with a runner on, but senior outfielder Tori Green snagged the game-ending out to preserve the victory.
"That last ball Legge hit looked like it was going further when it first came off the bat," admitted Dicke.
Green ignited a four-run bottom of the first inning for Ada with a walk. Brenna George beat out a bunt single. Alexis Waugh lifted a high drive to center field that was misplayed, allowing one run in while George was out at home on the relay.
Leona Dalton was hit in the side by a pitch, and Daicy Robinson's high drive to deep left field was also played into an error, making it 2-0. Dalton slid home safely on a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead.
After a strikeout, Kiersten Cortez lined an RBI single to left field to plate Robinson. Katie Sizemore lifted a high, short pop fly down the left field line that dropped in for a single.
But HN got the last out on a grounder to second base to keep the margin at 4-0.
The first two Polar Bear batters reached base in the top of the second on a Legge walk and a spinning grounder off the bat of Lauren Lenhart that hooked past the charging Sizemore at first base.
Dalton struck out the next two batters, but Cadence Coy reached on an infield single deep in the hole at shortstop to load the bases.
Dalton then helped herself by snaring a weakly hit looper back to the circle with a lunging backhand grab that ended the threat.
Ada went out in order in the home second. Brenna Flowers led off the HN third with an infield single. She advanced to third on an error and a steal.
Flowers scored when Paytin Pore grounded to shortstop George, who fielded it cleanly and threw home accurately. The ball was jarred loose on the Flowers slide into Waugh at home plate to cut the Ada lead to 4-1.
Dalton got out of further damage on two ground-outs.
In the bottom of the third, Dalton hit a towering fly ball that the shortstop dropped, and she hustled all the way to third base on the miscue. Robinson drove her in with a line-drive double into the left-center outfield gap.
White walked, but two Bulldogs struck out. Kayla Wince then beat out an infield single to make it 6-1. An HN throw sailed high for an error on a Green ground ball to third, which allowed two more runners to scamper home.
George then ripped a run-scoring single to left field that built the cushion to 9-1.
In the top of the fourth, Lady Bear Haylie Spearman sliced a long double down the right field line. Two walks, a groundout and a looper to center field that Green turned into a force-out at third with a good throw brought Pore to the batter's box.
Pore roped a single to left. But Dalton wriggled out of the jam with only two runs scoring by inducing a pop-out to Wince at second.
Hard-throwing Spearman relieved HN starting pitcher Ava Hopson in the fourth inning, with Pore moving from third base to catcher. Robinson sliced a single to right, followed by a White walk.
After a wild pitch and an error, courtesy runner Karmen Hall scurried home with the 10th Ada run. An RBI bunt by Cortez scored White on a close play at the plate to extend the margin to 11-3.
Spearman ended the frame with a whiff.
In the top of the fifth with one out, Spearman lofted a double over White's head in left field. After a groundout, Coy reached on an error and Spearman scored to make it 11-4.
In the Ada half of the fifth, slapper Green legged out an infield grounder to second base. But Spearman struck out the next two hitters to end the threat.
In the HN sixth, Flowers led off by launching a double to deep left field. After a fly out, Pore drove her in with an RBI infield single. Legge then doubled to left field.
Lenhart plated Pore with a pop-up bunt single down the first base line. But Dalton recorded a crucial out when she dove and tagged Legge out as she tried to get back to third base in a rundown.
"That turned out to be a key out," said Dicke. The baserunning error cost HN what could have been an even bigger inning.
Spearman then stroked an RBI single to center field to inch the visitors within 11-7.
But Dalton retired the side on a pop-out to Cortez at third base.
Spearman pitched around a Bear error in the bottom of the sixth. A fired-up Pore aided the Northern cause by throwing out an Ada runner trying to steal second.
Coy led off Northern's last at bat by smacking a double over the right fielder's head. Makenna Eibling plated her by drilling a high pitch for a two-bagger into the right-center gap that narrowed the margin to 11-8.
Dalton recorded a much-needed swinging strikeout, then got the second out on a called third strike.
Down to their last out of the season, Pore stroked a run-scoring single to left field that cut the lead to 11-9. The clutch hit brought Legge to bat as the potential tying run.
With the game on the line, Legge drilled a shot to straightaway center. But positioned fairly deep, Green was able to back-pedal and catch the drive to end the comeback bid and preserve the Ada win.
"Before that we had been playing our outfielders in closer to cut off some of the shorter singles," Dicke explained.
Dalton struck out seven Bear batters to earn her 11th victory as she hurled her 20th complete game of the spring.
Ada was out-hit by HN, 13-7. The Bears smacked six doubles to one by the Bulldogs. Robinson spanked the double and also singled for the victors. Green, White, Sizemore, Cortez and George added the other Ada singles.
Polar Bear Spearman drilled two doubles, while junior Flowers, sophomore Coy, Legge, and Eibling stroked one two-bagger apiece. Third sacker/catcher Pore collected three singles.
123 456 7 R H E
HN 001 213 2 9 13 5
Ada 405 200 x 11 7 3
WP-Dalton (11-10) LP-Spearman
2B-Robinson (A), Spearman 2 (HN), K. Legge (HN), Coy (HN), Eibling (HN), Flowers (HN)
Dalton hit two homers in the season-opening Ada 15-5 win at HN back on March 29.
Last Saturday's scheduled makeup twinbill at Perry was cancelled due to wet playing fields.
Ada will host winless Cory-Rawson (0-15, 0-8 BVC) Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the final Bulldog home game of the season.
The Bulldog girls then travel to face Wayne Trace (14-9) in sectional second round play Thursday. WT crushed Cory 25-1 in their first round mismatch Monday.
"We will have to tighten up our defense," said Dicke of the upcoming battle at WT Thursday. "We have to get out on top and play our best game."
