Story and photo by Cort Reynolds
ADA - The host Ada softball team won a seesaw rivalry battle over county foe Kenton 9-8 Saturday afternoon in dramatic fashion.
In a hotly-contested game that featured seven lead changes and three ties, the Bulldogs got the last run in at the very end.
Senior Leona Dalton drilled a home run over the fence in left-center field leading off the bottom of the seventh to give Ada the exciting victory.
Her game-ending, line-drive shot on a 3-1 pitch from Jill Burd cut through the wind for the fourth Lady Bulldog homer of the day.
"We kept battling back and didn't give up," said Ada head coach Rebecca Dicke. "We kept putting the ball in play."
The Lady Bulldog record improved to 10-9 with the win. The Wildcat girls fell to 3-12 with the tough defeat.
Kenton took an early 1-0 lead in the back and forth contest. A walk to Brynn Butler, a wild pitch and a ground-out advanced her to third. Butler then scored the first run on an RBI grounder by Liberty Lowe to shortstop Brenna George.
Ada senior catcher Alexis Waugh and Dalton stroked consecutive two-out singles to center field in the home half of the first. But Wildcat hurler Jill Burd got out of the jam by inducing an inning-ending grounder to second base.
Burd yanked a double down the third base line to open the Kenton second, then stole third base. Yet Dalton reared back and struck out the next three batters to strand her.
Ada got its bats going in the bottom of the second. George led off by golfing a drive over the fence in left-center to tie it 1-1.
With one out, freshman Daicy Robinson rifled a single to left. Classmate Katie Sizemore batted next and lofted a two-run blast over the left field wall to provide a 3-1 lead.
But Kenton rallied in their next at bat to tie it. Butler reached on an infield single to the hole at shortstop, Emily Pees walked and Lacie Nichols was safe on a fielder's choice.
Butler slid in safely on a passed ball as the other runners each moved up a base. Jasmine Reisinger then drove in the tying run on an unassisted ground-out to first sacker Sizemore.
Dalton then came up big with back-to-back strikeouts to preserve the 3-3 tie.
In the visiting fourth, Riley Reed lined a leadoff single to center field. However, Dalton whiffed two batters and Waugh threw out Reed trying to steal to stop the threat.
Ada regained the lead in the home fourth. Lexi White singled to left field leading off and stole second base. With two out, senior outfielder Tori Green pulled a looping double just out of the reach of a diving second baseman to give Ada a 4-3 edge.
Senior Kiersten Cortez made a bid for another run when she hit a hard ground ball, but the Wildcat third baseman made a nice play to end the frame.
Kenton began teeing off in the eventful fifth inning as Butler singled leading off. Pees lined a run-scoring triple into the gap in right-center field to tie it 4-4.
Nichols roped a shot that short-hopped the fence in left-center to put the visitors on top. Reisinger then smoked a double to the left-center gap for a 6-4 margin.
Dalton regrouped to record a key strikeout. Waugh gunned down Reisinger trying to steal third, and Dalton speared a comeback grounder to end the Wildcat fifth.
Ada came right back with a four-run outburst of its own in the home fifth. Waugh started the inning by crushing a home run over the wall in right-center field.
Dalton then lifted a long fly over the center fielder's head off the bottom of the fence for a double. One out later, George lined a two-bagger past the right fielder to plate Dalton and tie it 6-6.
With two out, Robinson crushed a double down the left field line to put the Bulldogs ahead, 7-6. Sizemore continued the assault by doubling over the left fielder's head to for an 8-6 advantage.
"Getting those four runs in the fifth was a big response, after they had taken the lead in the top of the inning," said Dicke.
Not to be outdone, Kenton responded with two runs in the top of the sixth. Reed walked and Katie Kearns reached on a bunt single.
Ada made an error on a sacrifice bunt and Reed scored to cut their deficit to 8-7. George then fielded a gorunder and tagged the runner, but couldn't double up the batter at first as Kearns raced home with the tying run at 8-8.
A groundout and a Dalton strikeout prevented Kenton from taking the lead.
"Our defense tried to beat us but we kept battling," Dicke noted.
Ada went down in order in the home sixth on three ground ball outs.
In the seventh, Kenton threatened to re-take the lead. Reisinger walked and barely made it to second ahead of Green's throw when Lowe's twisting fly to center field was dropped.
Both players stole a base to advance to second and third. But then Dalton struck out Reed and Brylee Ramge to strand both in scoring position.
"That was huge to be able to control the last two batters in the seventh," Dicke agreed.
Dalton then battled her counterpart Burd hard leading off the seventh. When she got a center-cut pitch on a 3-1 count, she roped it over the fence to finish off the Senior Day contest with a flourish.
"She went up there swinging for the fences," said Dicke. "She wasn't going to let Senior Day go by without hitting one, too."
Workhorse Dalton pitched her 17th complete game of the season to earn her 10th win. She struck out 12, walked three and scattered six hits.
Dalton also led the offense with a homer, double and single. Waugh homered snd hit a single.
The Bulldog girls out-hit Kenton, 12-6. Sizemore hit a homer and a single. Green contributed a single, while Robinson smacked a double and a single.
Ada honored and recognized its five seniors - Dalton, Waugh, Cortez, Green and George - after the game.
123 456 7 R H E
Ken 102 032 0 8 6 2
Ada 030 140 1 9 12 5
WP-Dalton (10-8) LP-Burd
2B-George (A), Dalton (A), Robinson (A), Green (A), Nichols (K), Reisinger (K)
3B-Pees (K)
HR-George (A), Sizemore (A), Waugh (A), Dalton (A)
The Bulldog girls league game at Paulding (15-2, 4-1 NWC) set for Thursday, April 29 was postponed because of rain, and has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 4.
The Lady Bulldogs (1-4 NWC) visit last-place league foe Spencerville (3-13, 0-3 NWC) Monday, May 3.
