By Cort Reynolds
HAVILAND - The visiting Ada softball team fell behind early and lost 11-1 to Wayne Trace in Div. IV sectional final action Thursday evening.
The Raider girls jumped out to an 8-0 lead and were never headed.
Ada dropped to 12-12 with the tournament loss, while hard-hitting WT improved to 15-9 with the win. The Lady Raiders advance to the district semifinals at Elida.
WT tallied two runs in the first inning and never trailed. Raider Ava Zartman scored on a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Tatum gave the Raiders a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Macy Doster reached on an Ada error and scored on a Carlee Mead sacrifice fly to extend the WT lead to 3-0.
The hosts then put the Bulldog girls in deep trouble with a five-run third frame.
Pitcher Tiffany Sinn led off with a single to left, followed by a bunt single from Emma Crosby. An infield single by Kaitlin Slade loaded the bases.
Tigner lofted an RBI sacrifice fly to provide a 4-0 advantage. Katie Anna Baumle drove in Crosby on a grounder to Bulldog second sacker Kayla Wince to make the lead 5-0.
Doster's run-scoring single advanced the margin to 6-0. Logen Bland then singled Doster home for a 7-0 cushion. Bland then crossed home plate on a Lady Bulldog error to make it 8-0.
Ada tallied its lone run in the top of the fourth. Senior hurler Leona Dalton slugged a one-out double, and freshman Daicy Robinson followed with an RBI single to cut the Bulldog deficit to seven runs.
Sinn then struck out senior shortstop Brenna George, and junior Lexi White grounded out to end the Ada threat.
The Lady Raiders then tacked on three more runs in the home half of the fourth inning to build a 10-run lead.
Sinn smacked a leadoff double, and Slade plated her with another double to make it 9-1.
Tigner and Baumle both reached on Ada errors that permitted two more Raider runners to score.
In the top of the fifth, Bulldog sophomore Wince reached on an error. But freshman Katie Sizemore struck out, and seniors Tori Green and Kiersten Cortez each grounded out to enact the 10-run rule, ending the game.
Raider hurler Sinn pitched a five-inning four-hitter. She struck out four Bulldogs, walked one and allowed one earned run.
Slade hit a double, singled and drove in a run for WT. Emma Crosby hit two singles and scored two runs. Katie Anna Baumle drove in two runs with a hit. Tatum Tigner collected two RBI.
Dalton hit a double while George, Robinson and senior catcher Alexis Waugh added singles for Ada.
Dalton gave up 10 hits and seven earned runs to take the loss. She struck out three Raiders over four innings.
Both teams were guilty of four errors.
123 456 7 R H E
Ada 000 10x x 1 4 4
WT 215 3xx x 11 10 4
WP-Sinn LP-Dalton (12-11)
2B-Slade (WT), Sinn (WT), Dalton (A)
The Bulldog girls (1-6 NWC) travel to face last-place Spencerville (4-16, 0-6 NWC) in the Ada league and season finale Friday evening.
The Lady Bearcats lost their sectional final at Minster 6-3 Thursday evening.
