Madison softball comes from behind to win sectional title
26-2 Madison team has remained tough through hard times, interim coach says.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
TIPP CITY — When good teams face adversity, they go after it head-on and find a way to get through.
On Friday, May 16, Madison High School dealt with adversity somewhere the Mohawks weren't really accustomed to seeing it — on the softball diamond.
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The top-seeded, state-ranked Mohawks found themselves trailing Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division nemesis Waynesville by a 5-3 score with just three and a half innings left to play. It had been a while since Madison (26-2) had trailed anyone in the fourth inning of a softball game.
And Friday, it didn't last long. Madison, which led 3-0 at one point, rallied for two runs in the fourth inning to tie the game. The Mohawks then added two more in the fifth to win it 7-5 for the Division III Dayton Upper sectional title.
Hannah Kendrick struck out eight Waynesville batters for yet another solid win, and Sarah Blevins drove in Hannah Fassler and Stormy Harding with the tying runs in the fourth inning.
Kendrick then scored the go-ahead run on a Kaley French groundout, and Mackenzie Shouse scored on a fifth-inning wild pitch for the game's final margin.
"I was nervous, but I knew we'd pull the game out in the end. And we did," said Blevins, who went 3-for-3 at the plate and scored two runs. "We're all excited to know we'll have that '08 on the banner at school as sectional champs."
Interim coach Michelle Coleman was almost in tears after the game.
"I'm very proud of these girls. They've been through a lot lately, but they toughed through it all," she said.
Harding wrapped up the game almost single-handedly. The freshman second baseman dove to snare a blooper behind first base for the first out. She then recorded the final out on a routine fly ball.
"I had the adrenaline pumping. I was ready to catch everything out there," she laughed. "This win means a lot to all of us. And we're not stopping here, we're going all the way."
Waynesville coach Dan Stupp wished the Mohawks well.
"They're the top seed for a reason," he said. "I hope they go far in the tournament."
The Mohawks will now face the Madeira-Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy winner at 1 p.m. May 24 at West Carrollton High School.
