Post delivers

COLDWATER, Ohio — Kylie Post didn’t play her best game Saturday morning.

In her first four plate appearances she was 0-for-3 with a walk that pushed in a run.

That didn’t matter when she came to the plate in the seventh inning of a tied ball game.

She delivered a two-out single up the middle to plate the winning run plus another.

The hit gave the Fort Recovery High School softball team a win in game one of the Strikeout for Cancer Invitational at Coldwater on Saturday against the St. Marys Memorial Roughriders 13-10. The Roughriders took down Fort Recovery 5-2 on April 10 before the Indians won the rematch.

The Tribe’s half of the sixth inning started with pop outs to Memorial’s infield before Audra Bubp hit a single into left field to start a two-out rally. Sophie Pearson followed Bubp’s lead and Maddie Guggenbiller drew a walk to load the bases with Post coming to the plate.

“We wrote on our wrists who we were playing this game for,” Post said. “When I stepped in the box I thought about that and moving those runners helped my team out.”

Post, who was playing for her grandfather, drove in the first two runs, before Ava Grisez singled through the left side of the infield to drive in the final run of the inning and give the Indians a 13-10 advantage.

“We scored runs with two outs in the top of the seventh,” FRHS coach Carrie Schoen said. “I don’t think we’ve done that all season so that’s big. They all found a way to dig deep.”

Freshman Jenna Homan made sure the Indians would not again lose the lead, making quick work of Memorial’s hitters in the top of the seventh inning. She faced four hitters in the frame, inciting a ground out from the first batter and striking out the second. She walked the third hitter before pitcher Adyson VanDeKeere popped out to Bubp, who was patrolling right field.

Bubp made contributions at the plate too, even with tornado sirens going off when she stepped into the box with two on and two out in the fourth inning.

“It was very loud and kind of distracting but I was trying really hard to stay focused,” Bubp said. “I wanted to keep playing for my team so I was trying to stay focused.”

Bubp initially tried to bunt, but after two failed attempts was forced to swing. With two strikes and two outs, she was able to deliver a single to center field, driving in a run.

The hit would spur a two-out rally that scored seven runs on three walks and a pinch-hit two-RBI single from Nevaeh Lennartz.

The Roughriders wouldn’t quit, when a barrage of singles scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to narrow the gap to 10-6. They then held Fort Recovery (7-13) at bay the next two innings while they clawed back to tie the game before Bubp got the Indians rolling in the seventh.

Sophie Pearson started the game in the circle for the Tribe, throwing four innings and giving up six runs. Homan relieved her after the long fourth inning. After giving up the lead and regaining it, Homan secured the win for the Indians.

The Indians took on Midwest Athletic Conference rival Coldwater in game two, dropping the contest to the Cavaliers 4-3. Coldwater had previously beat Fort Recovery 13-3 on April 18.

The Indians were down by a run going into the top of the seventh, but stayed alive after Guggenbiller delivered a bases-loaded grounder to score a run. The grounder turned into a double play and allowed the Cavaliers to escape with the game tied after Post popped out to second base.

Avery Knapke led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, and was replaced by Madison Wendel after she grounded into a fielder’s choice. The game ended when Grisez committed an error that allowed a run to score.