CLYDE, Ohio – Northern Lakes League rivals Perrysburg and Anthony Wayne have advanced to Friday's Division I regional softball finals at Clyde High School's Joe Wilson Field.
Perrysburg’s eighth-ranked Yellow Jackets (26-4) edged North Ridgeville 3-2 in Wednesday's first regional semifinal, and AW’s third-ranked Generals (28-1) topped Brecksville-Broadview Heights 5-0 in the second semifinal at Clyde. The NLL foes square off at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Perrysburg got a clutch two-out, two-strike single from sophomore Kylynn Thomas that drove in classmate Yesenia You from second base with the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh, then held on to win.
Maison Gerrard, the Jackets' fourth-year pitcher, scattered 10 hits to earn the complete-game victory.
“It's very valuable to be able to depend on my defense,” Gerrard said, “especially on the [artificial] turf. They were able to adjust to the bounces. I know I'm not going to be able to shut out every batter, and I'm OK with that because I've got a good defense behind me.”
North Ridgeville (16-7), which was playing in its fourth straight D-I regional, grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Molly Walton singled and came home on the back end of a delayed double steal by the Rangers.
Perrysburg rallied for two runs after two were out in the third inning.
You singled, stole second, and scored on Gerrard's double to right-center to tie the game, and courtesy runner Gracie Perry came around on Jessica Miller's single to right.
The Rangers tied the game in their half of the third on singles by Kasey Timko, Walton, and Kasey Melvin, the last a two-out RBI hit to right-center.
In the Perrysburg seventh, You (2-for-3) led off with a bunt single, moved to second on Miller's groundout for the second out, and scored on the clutch hit by Thomas (2-for-3).
The Yellow Jackets matched North Ridgeville's 10 hits facing Rangers pitcher Naomi Bottomlee.
“Every time at bat, [Bottomlee] was giving me the same pitch,” Thomas said of here winning hit, “knowing that I'd either strike out or hit it. I just needed to give it my best, and I did. I was nervous, but I just took deep breaths and believed. This means the world to go this far with this team.”
Gerrard escaped trouble to give her team a chance to advance.
“I was super proud of Maison in the circle,” Perrysburg coach Ryan DeMars said. “She made some great pitches. The defense was definitely back there playing behind her today. We made some outstanding plays to get out of a couple of jams, and she took control in the seventh.
“Offensively, we came through with some clutch hits. Ky [Thomas] coming up in the seventh there to plate Yesenia was huge.”
Perrysburg, which played errorless defense led by junior shortstop Hayley Griggs, got a key play with one out and Rangers runners at second and third in the sixth.
Jackets third baseman Alyssa Bradford fielded Brennan Dillon's grounder and fired home to catcher Sophie Halm, who tagged out Gabby Thibideaux to prevent the potential go-ahead run from scoring.
“This is my first regional, and this means a lot that I'm able to play with a team that I love being around and make this run in the tournament,” Gerrard said. “From here on out, we just have to trust our abilities, trust the work we've put in, and know that every opponent that we're going to face is going to be as good as we are, so, we've got to put up a battle.”
Perrysburg looks to return to the state final four for the first time since 2018.
“Out of about 180 D-I teams there's only eight left, and we're one of the them,” DeMars said. “The kids have worked really hard this year. We're just excited to be moving on and we're looking forward to the opportunity.”
In the second semifinal, Anthony Wayne rode the dominant pitching of hard-throwing senior Kay Meyers in topping Brecksville-Broadview Heights (21-8).
Meyers was nearly perfect for the second time in three tourney games, allowing one hit and striking out 16.
“They’re a great team with a lot of really good hitters, so I knew I had to use a lot of my spin pitches, rise-balls, and outside fastballs,” Meyers said. “I know I have a good defense behind me, so as long as I get those pitches spinning, I get weak contact and I have full confidence in my defense.
“I also have full confidence in our offense. If it’s the seventh inning or the first inning, we’re going to get the bats going. We have a big group of seniors here and a lot of talent, so I think we all want to go out with a bang. Our big goal is to win states.”
The lone baserunner for BBH was Meyers’ pitching counterpart, Anna Wise, who kept AW scoreless through six innings. Wise reached on a two-out infield single in the fourth inning.
Wise (12 strikeouts) stranded six Generals on the bases before the top of the seventh, escaping a bases-loaded situation in the third and stranding AW’s Megan Sumner at third with no outs in the sixth.
But, AW’s fourth-year outfielder Essence Dobbelaere-Buchman broke the game open with a three-run double down the left-field line in the seventh.
The Generals loaded the bases on a walk to Meyers, a Wise error while fielding Gabi Nowicki’s bunt, and Wise’s hit-batsman plunking AW’s Piper Phillips.
After Wise fanned the Generals’ Abby Kennelly (2-for-4), Dobbelaere-Buchman (2-for-4) sent a low opposite-field liner just fair past third base, giving AW a 3-0 lead.
“Abby Kennelly had just had her shot at it, and we’re kind of like a tag-team duo,” Dobbelaere-Buchman said. “If one of us isn’t able to get the job done, the other person’s there to pick them up. I was just looking to get a ball in play. We had bases loaded with one out, so anything was going to do it. I just got the luck of the draw on it.
“It was definitely a feeling of relief, but I also felt like we weren’t done because we always like to get a little bit of a cushion. Anything can happen in the seventh inning. This is my last year playing softball, so I’m hoping to see Akron [state final four site] one more time.”
Sumner (2-for-3) followed with an RBI single, and later scored on a groundout for the 5-0 lead.
“It was a relief,” AW coach Ron Myers said of the three-run hit, ‘because Brecksville-Broadview Heights has a Division I pitcher, and she has very good stuff.
“We’re blessed to have Kat Meyers these last four years. Being NLL champs and district champs, this is icing on the cake when you get this deep. We’re blessed with having the talent we have at Anthony Wayne.”
AW, which beat Perrysburg in their two NLL meetings this year (7-3 and 15-5), is seeking a third state-semifinal berth in four years. The Generals lost in the 2021 semifinals, and were Division I state runners-up last year.
“Perrysburg’s a very well-coached team and they have great players,” Myers said. “They hit really well, and they pitch really well. We’re just going to have to come out and do our thing.”
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