Fort rallies for title

ELIDA, Ohio - A season that had so much promise was going to end with a long, quiet and far-too-early bus ride back to Fort Recovery.

The Indians struggled through the first four-and-a-half innings of their first tournament game Thursday, falling behind 7-1.

They gave up the seven runs - all unearned - thanks to seven errors. And their bats were quiet - again - with just two hits.

But Fort Recovery, a team that won its first three games of the season, would not quit. It rallied back to within a run, loaded the bases in its final at bat and swiped an 8-7 victory from the Coldwater Cavaliers on a one-out, walk-off single by Josie Guggenbiller.

"I was thinking, 'I'm a senior, I might as well save the day,'" said Guggenbiller of the game-winning hit that brought in Carly Staugler and Kendra Brunswick with the tying and winning runs.

It was just that level of confidence that the Indians, who suffered through a seven-game losing streak late in the year, needed after stumbling out of the gate against Coldwater (10-15), a team they had defeated 6-0 during the regular season.

Errors and a botched call handed the Cavaliers, a team FRHS had defeated 6-0 during the regular season, three runs in the third inning. They added another unearned run in the fourth.

And after Fort Recovery picked up its first run in the bottom of the fourth, two more errors helped Coldwater tack on another three runs in the top of the fifth.

With her team trailing by six and down it its final nine outs, FRHS coach Marie Osterholt left the game in her players' hands.

"I didn't say anything to them," she noted. "They did all the talking themselves. They picked themselves up.

"They kicked it in gear. They wanted it. They just kept working at it and we whittled away at it little by little. They had confidence in themselves, and they just played a great game."

Guggenbiller keyed the Indians' comeback, leading off the fifth inning with a double to left-center field and advancing to third on an errant throw. That started a three-run frame, which also included an RBI single from freshman Janelle Schwieterman.

In the sixth inning Guggenbiller followed a Shelby Brunswick walk with a single to center field, and both runners scored on Andi Sutter's single to left.

And then the Tribe set the stage for its senior catcher again in the seventh.

Staulger opened the inning with a walk, and two batters later Kendra Brunswick singled to left field. Shelby Brunswick added her second consecutive walk to load the bases with one out.

Guggenbiller calmly took advantage of the situation, smacking a grounder in the gap between second and third base for a single to bring Staugler and Kendra Brunswick to the plate to win the game for Fort Recovery. She finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, and Andi Sutter was 1-for-2 with a walk, a run and two RBIs.

Staugler and Schwieterman each had a hit, a run and an RBI as the Indians tallied six of their eight hits in the final three innings.

"I'm so proud of them," said Osterholt. "They just kept battling and just kept working to get those runs. They didn't give up."

Sutter stood strong on the rubber despite the Indians' fielding woes and was able to hold the Cavalier bats at bay as the Tribe rallied. She retired seven of the final eight batters she faced to pick up the win.

"She has such mental toughness on the mound," said Osterholt, whose team won its second sectional title in three years. "She knows that she has to do a job. She never gives up."

Walks hurt Amanda Post as she took the loss for Coldwater. In 2 1/3 innings of relief she gave up four runs on three hits and four walks, the last of which came to Shelby Brunswick to load the bases in the seventh.

Post then gave way to Brooke Gillis, who had tossed the first four-plus innings, and Guggenbiller delivered the game-winning hit.

"She wasn't real sharp tonight," said Coldwater coach Jeff Kerr of Post. "I probably should have recognized that a little bit earlier ..."

Carly Schlater led the Coldwater offense with two hits, including a double, and two runs, and Larissa Goubeaux had a pair of doubles. Gillis went 2-for-3 and scored twice, and Theresa Hess scored two runs.

The Cavaliers committed three errors to help Fort Recovery score its first four runs against Gillis, but each of the final four runs against Post were earned.

"I think we got up 7-1 and relaxed a little bit," said Kerr. "We didn't play as sharp as we did when we started off the game. I think that was the main difference."

Fort Recovery's next tournament game will be Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., when it will take on the winner of the Archbold sectional in district semifinal action at Bath. The Archbold tournament begins tonight with Liberty Center taking on Swanton, and the winner meeting the host Blue Streaks Saturday for the sectional title.[[In-content Ad]]