By Cort Reynolds

LIMA__The Ada High School softball team utilized two huge innings to decisively defeat Carey 11-0 in Div. VI Northwest 1 district semifinal action at Bath on a windy Thursday evening, May 21.

The Bulldog girls scored four key runs in the bottom of the first frame to settle in and take control early. They then plated seven runs in the fourth to invoke the 10-run mercy rule after shutting out the Blue Devils in the top of the fifth. 

It was the second year in a row that Ada eliminated Carey at the district level on the Lima Bath diamond. The twice-postponed game was delayed from its original May 19 date, and again on May 20.

Hard-throwing Ada freshman Aubry Jordan hurled a five-inning shutout to earn the win. She scattered five hits, struck out eight and walked only one.

The Bulldogs out-hit Carey 8-5 and capitalized on six costly Blue Devil errors to win handily.

Ada improved to 22-4 overall with the lopsided win. Carey dropped to 13-13 after the defeat.

The Bulldogs advance to the district finals at Shelby vs. tough Colonel Crawford (20-8) on Friday at 4 p.m. CC eliminated New London 9-3 on Tuesday. The Ada/CC winner advances to the region 23 semifinals at Bellefontaine on Wednesday, May 27.

“Carey just couldn’t field the ball,” said Bulldog head coach Jeff Bassitt. “Their errors were the biggest difference in the game. Carey hit some balls hard. 

”We had eight different girls get a hit, and we did not strike out once,” he noted. 

Carey drew a walk and singled in the top of the first frame to threaten early with one out. But the Bulldogs turned a key double play to wriggle out of trouble when Carey pitcher Tylin Stoll grounded into a 4-6-3 twin killing that stifled the threat. 

“That double play was a big defensive play early in the game,” said Bassitt.

Ada then jumped on top of Carey with four runs in the bottom of the first inning and went on to dominate on a sunny but windy, cool evening where the sun affected the outfielders.

Ada scored first on a Blue Devil error, and freshman Maycie Dewese reached on a fielder’s choice. Sophomore Emily Shanks lined a shot that the left fielder couldn’t handle and ended up on second to drive in an early run. 

Aubry Jordan lined a single off the glove of the diving Blue Devil shortstop into left field to bring Dewese and the speedy Shanks scurrying home.

In the top of the second, Blue Devil Ashley Hohman sliced a sharp leadoff single to right field. Trinity Reinhart lifted a high fly to left field, but the wind blew it back toward the infield, where it dropped in for a single. 

Jordan reared back and got a clutch strikeout on a foul tip that catcher Gabby Fleming held onto. Jordan then blew away Garyner McKelvey swinging on a third strike fastball.

“Gabby did a nice job behind the plate,” said the coach. “Aubry pitched a good game.”

A wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position. But Jordan struck out Gracie Luhring looking with a nice pitch on the outside corner to end the threat.

Bulldog senior Alainee Buxton was narrowly out at first when she squibbed a nubber up the first base line to open the Ada second. After a ground-out, Sophie Fleming poled a low liner that the left fielder dropped.

Junior Reese Jordan walked, but Tea Griffith’s long fly ball was caught in center field to end the frame.

Carey catcher Bayah Harsanje singled to lead off the Blue Devil third. Autumn Bouillon was out at first after executing a sacrifice bunt as pitcher Jordan barehanded the bunt and threw her out.

Jordan again bore down with a runner in scoring position by striking out Danika Hanna looking. She then whiffed opposing pitcher Stoll, swinging.

Stoll settled down and retired Ada in order in the home third.

Jordan struck out Hohman, looking to start the top of the fourth. Reinhart hit a grounder back to the circle, which Jordan backhanded nicely before throwing her out.

Karlie Niederkohr went down on strikes via a pitch on the inside corner to the southpaw swinger.

Ada then blew the game open with seven runs in the bottom of the fourth. Dailah Preston reached first when her grounder to third base was booted. Buxton laid down a nice bunt in front of home plate, and Preston moved to third on a wild pitch. 

Shay Smith beat out a two-strike bunt single to put runners on the corners as Preston held. Sophie Fleming delivered an RBI single to left for a 5-0 lead, and promptly stole second.

Reese Jordan ripped a hard shot that shortstop McKelvey made a great diving stop on, but the infield single still drove in a run to make it 6-0. Hanna relieved Stoll and Griffith grounded out to McKelvey to drive in another run.

Dewese lifted a high fly to right field that fell in to provide an 8-0 margin. Shanks smacked a hard grounder through McKelvey’s legs. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, and Aubry Jordan walked to load the bases.

Dailah Preston then cleared the decks with the biggest hit of the game. She hammered a rocket-shot double off the fence in center field to score all three runners and extend the lead to 11-0.

“That was a big hit,” said Bassitt.

After Buxton walked, a pop-out to reliever Hanna ended the huge inning that saw Ada send 12 batters to the plate.

Carey sophomore Emma Turner roped a line single to left to lead off the fifth. She stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Luhring grounded out to Reese Jordan at third.

Harsanje struck out. Jordan then induced Bouillon to ground out to second sacker Sophie Fleming to end the game and preserve the shutout as the mercy rule was invoked.

Eight different Bulldogs collected one hit apiece. Preston delivered the key double and drove in three runs. Aubry Jordan aided her own cause with one run and a two-run single.

Shanks scored twice and drove in a run with a hit. Freshman Smith scored two runs, stole a base and had a bunt hit. Dewese tallied two runs and had one RBI with a hit. Reese Jordan and Sophie Fleming each singled in a run and scored.

Griffith knocked in a run and scored one with a hit.

Ada scored eight runs against Carey hurler Stoll, but only one was earned as the Devil defense struggled. She allowed six hits and one walk, but was also hit hard.

Hanna gave up two hits and two walks, and none of the three Ada runs scored on her watch were earned runs. She hurled two-thirds of an inning of relief during the game-clinching fourth frame.

The Blue Devils lost to Ada last year at Bath in the district finals, 6-3. The Bulldogs have outscored their two playoff opponents so far by a 38-0 margin. 

Columbus Grove edged Allen East 6-5 in the first Div. VI semifinal game Thursday at Bath.

Colonel Crawford sophomore Olivia Friley drove in four runs with a home run and a triple to pace to the Eagles to their 9-3 district semifinal win over New London. 

Against their only common opponent with Ada, CC recently whipped Northern 10 league foe Carey 12-2 and 10-3 on May 11 and May 14.

“It will depend on who sees the ball out of the pitcher’s hand best and who can hit better Friday,” said Bassitt of the district final vs. Colonel Crawford. “We will have to play better to get a win in the district finals. It may come down to who makes the fewest mistakes.”

Rain is in the forecast for Friday; if the game is postponed, they will try to make it up Saturday at Shelby. 

WP-A. Jordan LP-Stoll

2B-Preston (A)