By Cort Reynolds
LEIPSIC–The Ada High School softball team defeated Leipsic 11-8 in eight innings in a crucial Northwest Conference makeup game Wednesday evening.
The win kept Ada’s hopes alive for a share of a first-ever league title with one conference game remaining.
The Bulldogs improved to 15-3 overall and 6-1 in the NWC with the victory. Leipsic fell to 5-9 overall and 2-6 in the NWC with the defeat.
Ada led 6-1 in the fourth, but had to pull it out in extra innings to earn the win that snapped a two-game losing skid.
Bulldog sophomore hurler Jenna Bassitt struck out a season-high 16 Vikings to earn her 13th victory.
“It is nice to get back in the win column after five days off and two losses last week,” said Ada head coach Jeff Bassitt. “We have to clean up the errors and keep getting better.
“We hit the ball well, and the pitching was good,” he added.
In the top of the first, Bassitt singled and stole two bases before scoring on a throwing error.
Leipsic tied it with a run in the home first. Ally Hermiller walked and scored on a Schroeder single.
The game stayed knotted at 1-1 into the fourth when both teams authored big innings. Ada plated five runs to surge ahead, 6-1.
Kayla Wince beat out a bunt single, and Karley Wagner tripled her home to put the Bulldogs on top 2-1. Tess Griffith drove Wagner in with a ground ball that Leipsic misplayed into an error.
Belah Price singled to left field, but Alainee Buxton’s bunt resulted in an out at the plate.
Bassitt then smacked a three-run homer over the fence in left field to extend the Ada lead to 6-1.
Yet spunky Leipsic battled back with four runs in the home half of the fourth. Two Ada errors started the rally, and a bunt single loaded the bases.
Kopp then doubled in two runs. After a strikeout, Hermiller reached on a throwing error off a bunt as Kopp scored. Bassitt avoided further damage by inducing a groundout and a strikeout.
In the top of the fifth, Ada answered by scoring two more runs. Wince lined a single to center field, and Griffith singled her home one out later. Price grounded a single to center field to drive in Griffith and put the Bulldogs in front, 8-5.
The Vikings plated one run in the home fifth. Schroeder doubled and scored on an outfield error to pull within 8-6.
In the bottom of the seventh, Leipsic scored twice to tie it up. With one out, a dropped third strike allowed the runner to reach first. A Viking walk was followed by a single and a groundout.
Bassitt struck out the last batter to force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Buxton led off and reached on an error. Bassitt walked, and Aidra Preston singled to center to plate Buxton.
Bassitt swiped third on a double steal, and scored on a throwing error at third to increase the Ada lead to 10-8. Katie Sizemore drove home Preston on a groundout to shortstop to make it 11-8.
Bassitt struck out all three Viking batters swinging in the home eighth to end the game with a flourish. She walked five, allowed no earned runs and gave up just six hits.
“It wasn’t real pretty, but we got the win,” Bassitt noted.
Bassitt hit her second home run of the season, and added two singles and five stolen bases.
Wince amassed two hits and two steals. Price contributed three singles.
Hermiller struck out seven and walked one Bulldog while giving up 14 hits.
Crestview can clinch an outright NWC title Thursday by winning at arch-rival Lincolnview in their showdown finale. The Lancers are tied for second in the league standings with Ada at 6-1 after beating Delphos Jefferson 10-2 Wednesday.
A Knight loss to the 10th-ranked Lancers could pave the way for a three-way tie for the title between Ada, Crestview and Lincolnview if the Bulldogs win at Spencerville Thursday.
The Bulldogs whipped the visiting Lancers 12-5 in the NWC opener.
Ada has never won an NWC crown in softball.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Ada 1 0 0 5 2 0 0 3 11 14 6
Leip 1 0 0 4 1 0 2 0 8 6 5
WP- Bassitt (13-3) LP-A. Hermiller
2B-Schroeder (L), Kopp (L)
3B-Wagner (A)
HR-Bassitt (A)
Ada visits Spencerville (3-12, 1-5 NWC) in the league season finale Thursday, May 4. With a win, the Bulldogs would end up with the best NWC regular season finish in program history.
“We have to try and take care of business and not worry about what the other teams are doing,” said Bassitt.
Ada went 7-2 in 2011 and 6-2 in 2016 in NWC play to tie for second both years. The Bulldogs tied with Paulding and Bluffton in 2011, and tied with Columbus Grove in 2016.
Ada ended up knotted for third in the NWC at 6-3 with Grove in 2012. The 2018 district champion Bulldogs finished fourth at 5-3.
Ada added a home game Tuesday, May 8 vs. Green Meadows Conference member Wayne Trace (8-9, 2-5 GMC) to the schedule.
The Bulldogs also play at Vanlue (6-8) Friday and at Arcadia (9-6) Saturday.
