FR softball suffers 1-0 loss

NEW BREMEN, Ohio - The Indians tallied twice as many hits as they did the last time they faced Michelle Stout. The result remained the same.

The St. Henry Redskins' pitcher shut out the Fort Recovery High School softball team for the second time in 10 days, leading her team to a 1-0 victory over the Tribe in Thursday's Division IV sectional championship game.

"She's a heck of a pitcher," said FRHS coach Marie Osterholt, whose team lost 1-0 to the Redskins in Midwest Athletic Conference play May 5 as Stout threw a one-hitter. "She did a really nice job and kept us off balance. We put the bat on the ball a few times, but their defense really played well.

"I wish it was the other way around, but they've been playing really well. I give them all the credit. They had a heck of a game."

The Redskins scored the only run of the game in the fourth inning, in which Stout led off with a single. St. Henry coach Josh Link replaced her with courtesy runner Macey Miller, and his team executed exactly what he wanted.

With the hit-and-run on, Miller took off for second base and Olivia Hart delivered a shot to right-center field. Miller blazed around the bases, scoring all the way from first base on the double.

"We knew they were going to play us tough," said Link, whose team suffered an upset 2-1 loss to Fort Recovery in the sectional title game last season. "They were going to make the defensive plays, and we had to hit the ball to prove that we could beat them. And fortunately we were able to string that one inning together where we executed well with the hit-and-run.

"After they got us last year, I knew the girls were excited about coming and playing them again. It kind of feels like a little monkey off our back."

With one run on the board, Stout took care of the rest.

She completely shut down the Tribe offense after Kelly Sudhoff's one-out single in the third inning. Only two balls left the infield the remainder of the game as she retired 14 consecutive batters to secure the sectional title.

Stout struck out only six batters, but got consistently great play behind her defensively as St. Henry played error-free softball. Right fielder Mindy Kaup robbed Josie Guggenbiller of an extra-base hit to lead off the game, and second baseman Rachel Borgerding ranged to her left to make a key grab on a line drive by Joanna Snyder for the second out in the seventh.

"She was on her game," said Link of Stout. "The defense was playing well behind her. We made some impressive catches out there."

Kinsey Wenning, who had the only other Tribe hit with a two-out single in the first inning, was nearly as impressive with her pitching effort. She gave up just four hits and one walk in the defeat.

"She did an excellent job; kept them off balance too," said Osterholt. "They didn't get too many hits either.

"I'm very proud of my girls. They did a nice job. We just came up a little short."[[In-content Ad]]