By Cort Reynolds
The Ada High School varsity softball team lost 11-1 to defending league champion Lincolnview in the Northwest Conference opener on a cool, windy Thursday, April 7 evening at War Memorial Park.
The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the NWC with the loss. The Lancers improved to 3-1 and 1-0 in the NWC after the win.
The game was scheduled to be played at Lincolnview but was moved to Ada due to wet fields.
"We left six or eight runners on base and made some crucial errors," said Ada head coach Jeff Bassitt. "Might have been a different game if we could have stopped their momentum, but Lincolnview is going to be at the top of the conference.
"They scored a lot of two-out runs," he added. "We couldn't get out of the innings. You have to field the ball to beat a good team."
In the Lincolnview first inning a leadoff double by Kendall Bollenbacher was followed by a walk and a hit batter. A two-run single by Zadria King gave the Lancers a 2-0 lead. A passed ball stretched the lead to 3-0.
In the top of the second, Ada freshman third sacker Belah Price drilled a leadoff double over the left fielder's head. Katie Sizemore drew a walk, and Karley Wagner legged out an infield single with one out.
With the bases loaded, Emilee Huffer drove in a run with a pitcher to third groundball force-out to make it 3-1. But a strikeout from all-league hurler Taylor Post preserved the two-run lead.
In the bottom of the second, a one-out double to the right field corner by Sherrick. Bollenbacher singled through the hole to put runners on the corners.
After a line-out to left fielder Kayla Wince, the runners held. But then Addy Stevens laced a two-strike change-up to the gap in right-center for a two-run triple.
In the top of the third, freshmen Jenna Bassitt and Aidra Preston led off with singles. But then the next three hitters went down on strikes to douse the threat.
In the bottom of the third, Lincolnview plated three more runs. King doubled to left center field, followed by a strikeout. Grace Brickner singled to deep center field to extend the lead to 6-1.
Braxton Sherrick singled to center and Bollenbacher sliced a two-run double to left field for an 8-1 margin. Freshman hurler Bassitt worked out of the jam with a called third strike.
Karley Wagner singled with one out in the Ada fourth, but Post struck out the side.
Post led off the Lancer fourth frame by doubling to right-center field. King smacked an RBI single to center for a 9-1 cushion.
After a strikeout, Andi Webb tripled to right field to help stretch the lead to 11-1.
In the Ada fifth, Post whiffed two and retired the final hitter on a flyout to end the game via the 10-run rule.
Bassitt struck out five in four innings, while Post whiffed 10 Bulldogs. The Lancers out-hit Ada 10-5.
Price doubled while Wagner hit two singles. Bassitt and Aidra Preston both singled to pace the Ada offense.
123 456 7 R H E
Ada 010 00x x 1 5 4
Lvw 323 3xx x 11 10 1
WP-Post LP-Bassitt (2-2)
2B-Price (A), Sherrick (L), Bollenbacher (L), King (L)
3B-Stevens (L), Webb (L)
Ada's game at Perry (4-3) was rained out Wednesday. The Bullldog girls play a doubleheader at Arlington Saturday and then visit league foe Columbus Grove Monday, April 11.
The non-league game at Cory-Rawson will be made up on April 13.
