By Cort Reynolds

BATH – The Ada High School softball team pulled away late to run-rule Columbus Grove 10-0 in the Div. VI district semifinals on a sunny Monday, May 19, at Lima Bath. 

The game was moved up a day due to expected rain Tuesday.

The Ada girls improved to 20-4 overall with the victory in the battle of the Bulldogs. They will face Carey (7-13) in the district finals Thursday, May 22, weather permitting. 

Columbus Grove finished its season 5-17 after their second 10-0 loss to Ada this spring. 

“We didn’t play our best,” said Ada head coach Jeff Bassitt. “Jenna has been sick, Alainee got sick and Karley got hurt. But we will take the win.”

The Ada girls out-hit CG, 12-3.

Senior ace Jenna Bassitt overcame some shaky tournament jitters defense to hurl a three-hit shutout and post her 20th win. 

Grove threatened in the first inning when a two-out fly ball was dropped in center field for a two-base error. An ensuing hard grounder off the third baseman helped put runners on second and third. But Bassitt escaped any damage with a called third strike.

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Ada senior Natilyn McClain slugged a double that one-hopped the fence in left-center field. But CG got the last out on a grounder to shortstop.

Bassitt struck out the first two batters in the second before Delaney Wintersteller lined a high pitch into right field for a single. She then hit Becca Hoover in the foot to place runners on first and second.

Bassitt induced Breanna Hoffman to hit a chopper to shortstop Emily Shanks, whose throw to third base narrowly forced out the lead runner.

Ada took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the second. Senior Karley Wagner beat out an infield dribbler to third, but re-aggravated a hamstring injury running down the line and had to come out of the game.

Aidra Preston pulled a hard one-hop smash off the third sacker’s shin for another infield hit. Sophomore Reese Jordan stroked a sharp single to left field to score pinch runner Summer Wibley with the game’s first run. 

Dailah Preston loaded the bases when CG sailed a throw over third on her fielder’s choice grounder. After a wild pitch moments later, Aidra Preston sped home and slid in safely just ahead of the throw to the pitcher covering home.

Dailah Preston scored on Bassitt’s hard grounder that was turned into a fielder’s choice out at third. CG avoided further scoring as hurler Dakota Dunn got a strikeout, then induced a groundball force-out and a fly ball to left field.

In the Grove third, Bassitt retired the first two hitters on a bunt back to her and a whiff. Erianne Heffner then singled to left and advanced to second on an outfield misplay. But Bassitt gloved a pop-out near home along the third base foul line to end the top of the third.

Tess Griffith ripped a one-out single to center field in the home third. But a foul-out and a nice backhanded stab by the Grove third baseman ended the inning.

Dunn reached first base on a third-strike passed ball leading off the fourth. Shanks snagged Jayda Mull’s curving soft liner in the hole, followed by a Wintersteller walk. Bassitt fielded a grounder for the second out, but Hoffman drew a walk to load the bases.

Grove appeared to score on a 3-2 infield hit to shortstop off the bat of Zoey Patchet, but baserunner interference was called to end the threat with Ada still ahead 3-0.

Jordan led off the Ada fourth with a walk and a stolen base. Dailah Preston reached base safely when her grounder to shortstop was misplayed, and she stole a base to put two runners in scoring position. 

Jordan came in to score, as did Dailah on a wild pitch and passed ball when she slid headfirst into home to make it 5-0. Bassitt lined a shot that skipped past the left fielder, which allowed the speedster to leg the liner into a triple.

Emily Shanks executed a nice safety squeeze bunt to bring Bassitt home and make it 6-0. McClain then lined out to left field to end the frame.

In the CG fifth, Heffner rapped a sharp single to left-center field with one out. But Bassitt pitched around it by getting a fly-out to Griffith in center, and a ground-out to Jordan at second base.

Griffith led off the Ada fifth by pulling a hard double down the left field line off reliever Wintersteller. Wibley flew out to center field. A wild pitch advanced Griffith to third, but she was stranded there by two pop-outs.

In the top of the sixth, Jordan made a nice catch on a low pop-up toward shallow right. A hard Wintersteller grounder skimmed under the third baseman’s glove into left field. But Bassitt struck out Hoover, and McClaim gunned down Wintersteller trying to steal at second.

Leading off the Ada sixth, Dailah Preston smoked a single to center field. Sophie Fleming yanked a double just fair inside third base down the left field line. 

Bassitt flew out to center field, with the runners holding on second and third. Shanks walked to load the bases. McClain then crushed a long double down the left field line to drive in two runners and build the lead to 8-0.

Griffith then stroked a two-run double that one-hopped the fence in left to bring home Shanks and McClain and end the game via the 10-run mercy rule.

Bassitt allowed three hits and three walks over six innings. She struck out seven and hit one batter. She threw 101 pitches, 64 for strikes or in play.

Griffith drilled two doubles and hit a single. She drove in a pair of runs and stole a base. McClain swatted two doubles, drove in two runs and scored a run.

Dailah Preston had two hits, scored two runs and swiped a bag. Fleming doubled, scored a run and had one RBI. 

Jordan collected a hit and one walk, scored two runs, drove in a run and stole a base.

Wagner had a hit in her lone at bat before being sidelined due to injury. Shanks walked, had an RBI sacrifice bunt and scored a run. Aidra Preston singled and scored a run. Wibley scored a run. 

Bulldog right fielder Alainee Buxton took ill before the game and was replaced by Fleming.

“We have to get back to doing the small things,” Bassitt said. “At the end of the day, we got a win and advanced. Hopefully we will have everyone back healthy by Thursday.” 

Ada committed four errors, and CG made two miscues. They reached 20 wins for the first time ever in a season with the win. The five seniors have combined to win 60 games as well over their four seasons.
Top seed Ada plays fourth seed Carey in the district finals at Bath Thursday, May 22 at 5 p.m. With a victory, the Bulldogs would clinch the second district title in program history. The first came in 2018.

“We will have to play better to beat Carey,” said Bassitt.

The regional semifinals will be at Findlay May 28, with the final May 30 or May 31.

The Blue Devils eliminated Van Buren 15-6 in the second district semifinal Monday evening.

Carey started out 1-7, but has won four of their last six games.

    123     456     7     R     H     E

CG 000 000 x 0 3 1
Ada 030 304 x 10 12 4
WP- Bassitt (20-4)   LP-Dunn 
2B-McClain 2 (A), Griffith 2 (A), Fleming (A)

3B-Bassitt (A)