Big Flyer 5th eliminates FR (05/07/07)

NEW BREMEN, Ohio - For four-and-a-half innings the Indians played like the team they had hoped to be all year.

Solid pitching and defense limited Marion Local to just a single run, and a handful of timely hits staked Fort Recovery to a one-run lead.

But it all fell apart in a brutal bottom of the fifth.

Five consecutive Flyer hits started the road to six runs as Marion Local knocked the Indians out of the Division IV softball sectional at New Bremen, 7-2.

"They put a lot of hits up in that one inning," said FRHS coach Marie Osterholt, whose team dropped to 3-12 on the year. "That dug us in a hole and we couldn't get out of it. All-in-all we played pretty well.

"It's hard to lose a game, but we'll come back next week and keep playing the rest of the season."

Fort Recovery took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth thanks to a couple of two-out hits - a triple to right-center field by Val Fortkamp and an RBI single just under the glove of shortstop Rachel Puthoff from Joanna Snyder. But after Kinsey Wenning struck out Kenzie Schwieterman to start the bottom of the fifth the Marion Local bats came alive.

Rachel Puthoff, Jessica Kemper, Tara Hartings and Kim Droesch turned in consecutive singles, the last of which gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead. Then came the game-breaker as Amy Droesch clobbered a two-run triple over the head of Heather Schmackers in right field.

Another RBI single from Christie Shaner made it 7-2, and the Tribe managed just a pair of hits over the final two frames.

"That's the first time she's ever gone to right field I think in her career, so it kind of shocked everybody I think," said Flyer coach Gary Moeder of Droesch's triple. "Once it left the bat I was sending everybody because I didn't think there was a chance (Schmackers) could catch it."

Amy Droesch finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead Marion Local, and Kim Droesch had two hits and two RBIs. Kemper also had two hits, and Hartings scored twice.

The fifth-inning offense supported pitcher Michelle Fleck, who got the win as she allowed two runs on six hits and three walks in seven innings. She struck out five batters.

Fortkamp, the Tribe catcher, prevented more Flyer runs from scoring as she picked off runners at third base in each of the first two innings.

"We played great defense there," said Osterholt, whose team committed just a single error. "We did a great job, we just didn't get the timely hits. They did. That was the difference in the ballgame."

Kinsey Wenning took the loss as six of her seven runs were earned on 11 hits and four walks.

Ashley Grube was the only Indian with multiple hits as she finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. She drove in Sandra Sudhoff, who walked to lead off the game, for the first Fort Recovery run with a single to right field in the first inning.[[In-content Ad]]