Wauseon to take on top-ranked LaGrange Keystone in regional

Steve Junga, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
·2 min read

May 26—The Wauseon softball team shook off a hitting skid to earn a Division II regional berth.

Wauseon (19-8) of the Northwest Ohio Athletic League rallied from behind to take a 13-9 win over top-seeded Oak Harbor last Saturday at Genoa.

The Indians' reward for their district triumph?

A Division II regional semifinal matchup Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Tiffin University against top-ranked perennial state power LaGrange Keystone (29-1).

"We changed our practices up a little bit," Wauseon coach Mark Schang said of his team's recent hot streak at the plate. "We were popping up a lot, so we changed the way we did our hitting instructions. Since then, they've been driving the ball really well, so we're going to stick with it.

"They were trying to hit the ball over the fence, so we went away from that to get more line drives. There was a game where we hit about 10 pop flies to the infield. They were just trying to mash the ball."

LaGrange Keystone made 18 state final-four appearances in the the past 30 seasons, winning D-II state championships in 1999, 2006, 2012 and 2019. Keystone has also been state runner-up seven times.

This season the Wildcats are led by junior pitcher Lily Cassell (26-1, 1.30 ERA, 229 strikeouts), and offensively by the senior trio of Madi Herrington (.609, 7 HR, 58 RBI), Kerrigan Williams (.594, 38 RBI), and Jessica Chapman (.566, 33 RBI).

"They're fast and have a disciplined defense and good pitching," Schang said of Keystone. "We're going to have to be at the top of our game to stay with them probably.

"We're going to have to take the extra bases when we can get them, and if we get a girl on second we're going to have to do whatever we can to get her home.

Wauseon will counter with pitcher Macee Schang (18-8, 3.19 ERA, 183 strikeouts), and the Indians' offensive has been highlighted by Olivia Gigax (.417, 4 HR, 28 RBI), Schang (.439, 9 HR, 37 RBI), Jayli Vasquez (.416, 33 RBI), Chlesie Raabe (.408, 4 HR, 21 RBI), Jettie Burget (.419, 3 HR, 32 RBI, 42 runs), and Payton Albright (.417, 12 HR, 38 RBI, 44 runs).

The winner will face Lima Shawnee or Mansfield Madison Comprehensive in Saturday's regional final.

First Published May 25, 2021, 4:15pm