Sixth ends Tribe's season

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MARIA STEIN, Ohio — The Flyers had plenty of opportunities.

Olivia Homan and the Tribe defense thwarted chance after chance.

The home team finally broke through in the sixth inning.

The Fort Recovery High School softball team gave up two runs in the home half of the sixth inning Monday as its season came to a close with a 4-2 loss to the host Marion Local Flyers in the Division IV sectional semifinal.

Marion Local, the No. 6 seed, advances to the sectional semifinal at 5 p.m. Thursday against No. 2 seed New Bremen.

“I am really happy with how they played,” said FRHS coach Tammy Post, whose team lost to the Flyers 14-3 on April 25 in Fort Recovery. “We competed the whole game, which is an accomplishment. I thought they did a really good job. I am really proud of them.”

Marion Local (8-10) left runners in scoring position in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings as the defense of Fort Recovery (3-18) kept the Flyers in check.

That changed in the sixth.

Marion Local’s Maddie Griesdorn deposited Homan’s first pitch of the inning over the fence in center field, giving the Flyers a 3-2 lead. Lauren Sanders followed with a double, and her courtesy runner Courtney Homan was thrown out two batters later between third and home plate.

Chloe Bertke hit an RBI single with two outs later in the frame to score Marah Moeller and give Marion Local a 4-2 advantage.

“They didn’t start hitting her until the sixth inning so that was pretty good,” Post said.

The Indians jumped on the Flyers early, scoring twice in the first inning. Rachel Thien led off the game with a double, and two batters later Hannah Knapke doubled her in for the Tribe’s first run. After a strikeout, Lydia Wenning hit an RBI single to right field as Fort Recovery led 2-0.

Marion Local scored twice in the bottom of the first inning to tie the score at two apiece. Homan didn’t let the shaky first inning rattle her and her defense helped her out through the next four innings.

In the second, Wenning cut down courtesy runner Emily Nietfield at third base, and Marah Moeller was also stranded 60 feet from home plate.

Sarah Fesenmyer got to third with two outs one inning later, but Homan enticed Kara Evers into bouncing out to Knapke at third base.

In the fourth, MLHS catcher Sanders got hit by a pitch, and her courtesy runner Homan reached third base with two outs but was again left stranded.

Consecutive two-out hits in the fifth by Fesenmyer and Macey Griesdorn put runners at the corners for the Flyers, but Olivia Homan got Evers to pop out to Macy Day at second to end the threat.

“It was very impressive,” Post said of her defense. “Compared to some other games that we’ve had they played really good defense tonight. They were ready to play. I am proud of them.”

But it was only a matter of time before Marion Local capitalized on its chances.

“We got some runners in scoring position,” said MLHS coach Jerry Moeller. “They threw a couple of them out … kept us from scoring a couple times.

“It was a good defensive game. Exactly what you’d expect.”

Thien also had a single and stole a base in the fifth inning to pace the Tribe offense. Bailee Tebbe added a single.

Homan went the distance pitching for the Indians. She allowed four runs — two earned — on nine hits with one walk.

Fort Recovery played nine underclassmen, as two of its seniors — Emily Hart and Audra Metzger — had season-ending injuries. The other senior, Devin Post, was unable to play the field. So the Indians started five freshmen, two sophomores and two juniors defensively.

“Bunch of young girls out there trying to compete,” Tammy Post said. “They all have the talent. They can all do it. We just have to put it together some games.”