Timely hitting, Marshall send John Glenn back to regionals
DUNCAN FALLS — With the district final in the balance, fifth seed Morgan took a chance on Thursday.
Unfortunately, top seed John Glenn was not fooled.
Brynna Wolford opened the top of the fourth inning with a triple off Raiders starter Malayni Clemens so coach Nick Sheets brought in senior Katie Hook to provide a change of pace.
The Muskies (22-4) did not greet Hook kindly, scoring three times before Clemens reentered and notched a strikeout to end the fourth.
That surge proved enough, as John Glenn ace Sydney Marshall threw a one-hitter in a 4-0 victory in the Division II district final at the Philo Athletic Complex.
Hook retired the first batter she faced, as Abby Buchtel's sac fly scored Wolford. Hannah Bendle followed with a double, which sailed over Clemens in left field, then scored on Alivia Boothe's one-out single to make it 2-0.
Marshall followed with a single and Sydney Johnson walked to load the bases before Hook induced a fielder's choice to get the runner at home. However, she walked Maddie Winland with the bases loaded to bring in courtesy runner Alaiah Johnson for a three-run cushion before Clemens returned to the circle.
Sheets felt the move was worth the risk even thought it didn't pay off.
"We thought bringing in Katie could throw off their timing. Her pitches would look like watermelons compared to Malayni's. We were hoping they would pop them up," Sheets said. "We got a couple of those, but we made a couple mistakes. They're a good team that took advantage of those."
John Glenn coach Randy Larrick applauded his team for staying composed during the change.
"The kids made the adjustments," he said. "She got a little wild, and we took advantage of it. The kids deserve the credit."
Those runs were more than enough for Marshall, as the Muskies added one in the fifth when Boothe singled home Buchtel with two outs.
Blair Clawson hit a one-out triple in the sixth to end Marshall's no-hit bid, but she was stranded after Marshall got a strikeout and lineout to end the threat.
Marshall, who fanned 10 and walked one, noted she leaned on her spin, while the run support took off some pressure as the Muskies earned a return trip to the regional tournament.
They will face Muskingum Valley League rival Sheridan, which picked up a 7-6 walk-off win over Athens, on Wednesday at Pickerington Central. Time is to be announced.
"I figured they'd be ready for my speed so I wanted to keep them off balance. I just moved the ball high or low," she said. "We had timely hitting. That allowed me to relax more and not put as much pressure on myself as I had."
Sheets gave credit to Marshall for slowing down the Raiders, who made the program's first appearance in the district final. They finished 15-7 and have several key pieces back, including Clemens, who allowed five hits and struck out six in 5 1/3 innings.
"(Sydney) is really good and hit her spots," Sheets said. "We're young in our dugout, and you can tell they're hungry. This is a close-knit group who loves to play. I can't ask for a better group to be with.
"I know (Head coach) Jeremy Keirns wishes he was here," he added. "We've been together in this for five years. The program has come a long way, and we're very proud of what this group has accomplished."
Boothe and Wolford finished with two hits apiece, as six players had at least one hit in the win.
This is just the next part in the journey. Larrick said his team talked about the season in steps, and they can now focus on the regional tournament.
"We started talking early that our first goal was the MVL. The girls did a nice job taking it one game at a time," he said. "Once we won the MVL, we turned our attention to the next section. That's been our focus, and the girls are doing what we've asked them to do."
bhannahs@gannett.com
Twitter: @brandonhannahs
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Timely hitting, Marshall send John Glenn back to regionals
