Flyers eliminate Fort Recovery (05/19/04)

NEW BREMEN, Ohio — Fort Recovery’s best softball tournament effort during its best season in school history ended Tuesday at the hands of a conference rival. It was the same team which ended the girls basketball team’s dreams just a few months earlier.

The Marion Local Flyers continued to be a thorn in the Indians’ side Tuesday, eliminating them 3-1 in the district semifinal round at New Bremen.

The game was exactly what anyone would expect from a couple of Midwest Athletic Conference schools — a nail-biter to the end.

Marion Local had more base runners, but neither team could get a run across the plate through the first five innings. The Flyers finally broke through with four hits and three runs in the sixth inning, and MAC player of the year Dana Hartings fought off Fort Recovery’s comeback try in the seventh.

“This is really tough,” said Tribe coach Marie Osterholt, whose team won its first sectional title this year and has posted a school-record 17 wins. “They battled so hard. These girls worked so hard this year.”

“It was just a matter of time,” said Marion Local coach Gary Moeder. “We were on her all day, we were just a little ahead of her.”

The Flyers — who are ranked seventh in the state despite a 13-10 record — left four runners on base in the first five innings, and had two more caught stealing. Fort Recovery had just one hit over the same span, but the game was scoreless before Marion Local got to Tribe starter Julie Smith in the sixth.

Abby Homan led off with the first of four hits in the inning. Megan Homan sacrificed her to second with a bunt, and then Hartings delivered the first run.

Hartings helped her own effort with a triple to the gap in right-center field to bring Abby Homan to the plate. Jennifer Rose followed with a bunt single as the Indians tried to keep Hartings from scoring.

Then Kelsey Schaefer broke the game open with a two-run double to right field.

Alyssa Tobe came in to get the final two outs, but the Tribe could only get one run back in the seventh.

“I think I probably should’ve pulled my pitcher a little quicker,” said Osterholt, who had told Smith to try to pitch around Hartings. “I think I should’ve taken Julie out. They were timing her up.

“She was battling hard, but they just hit her.”

Hartings finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Megan Homan and Rose added two hits apiece.

“We were hitting her all day,” said Moeder, whose team finished with eight hits to just two for the Indians. “We kind of hit her the first game, but she has a nice drop ball and we were suckers for that.

“We prepared for it yesterday and it kind of paid off.”

Fort Recovery (17-7) — which defeated the Flyers 1-0 in the regular season — scored its lone run in the seventh after Lisa Grisez reached base on an error by third baseman Kelly Plieman. Joscie Kaup popped out to Plieman, but then Krystal Rammel ripped a triple to right-center field to score Grisez and give her team life.

Hartings would have none of it, however, striking out Brenda Rindler looking and Tobe swinging to send Marion Local to the district championship game. It will take on the Ada/Spencerville winner at Wapakoneta Thursday at 5 p.m.

The only other Fort Recovery hit was a single to right field by Kaup in the first inning.

Hartings retired 16 consecutive batters after that hit before the Tribe finally put a run on the board in the seventh. She allowed one unearned run on two hits while striking out nine in the complete-game win.

The Indians will play at Jay County Thursday at 5:30 p.m. for a chance to extend their school-record win total. They can tie for the best record in the conference at 5-2 if New Bremen loses its final MAC contest.

“In the beginning of the season we set some goals,” said Osterholt. “They worked so hard to achieve them. They won more games this year, they won sectional this year, and we still hope to win (a share) of the MAC this year.

“It’s just a great group of kids.”[[In-content Ad]]