First AHS team to advance to regional softball final

By Cort Reynolds

The Ada High School softball team will play Gibsonburg in the regional finals Friday, May 30 at 5 p.m. in Findlay. “Gibsonburg is a very solid team,” said coach Jeff Bassitt. “We will have to bring our A game.”

It marks the first time Ada has advanced to a regional final in program history. The Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker to Defiance Tinora 3-2 in eight innings at the 2018 Findlay regional semis.

The Gibsonburg Golden Bears pushed across a run in the top of the ninth to beat Bucyrus Wynford Wednesday evening in an extra-inning, semifinal nailbiter. They out-hit the Royals, 7-4. 

Bear freshman hurler Alivia Wauford went all nine innings to earn the win. She gave up four hits and one earned run with 12 strikeouts and seven walks. She is 7-4 this season, and is hitting .324.

Another Bear freshman hurler, Ava Amor, is 10-3 with a 1.92 ERA this season. She also is hitting .380 with five home runs and 28 RBI.

Junior Cheyenne Reese bats a team-leading .524 this season with 24 RBI and 12 doubles. Junior Leah Hall is hitting .390 with 22 RBI and 11 doubles.

Gibsonburg has won eight of its last nine games after starting the season 0-3. The Golden Bears won the Clyde district championship.

The Bulldog/Bear winner advances to the Div. VI state final four at Akron Firestone Stadium, scheduled for June 6/8.

Top-ranked Tri-Village (27-0) plays Minster (26-5) in a key regional final clash in the opposite half of the remaining eight-team bracket from Ada.

The Ada/Gibsonburg winner will play the Garaway/Dawson-Bryant (19-4) survivor in the second state semifinal game Friday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m.

The state final is scheduled for Sunday, June 8 at 11 a.m.