PLYMOUTH, Ohio — Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
Plymouth ace Addy Horne didn’t realize just how uneasy until the Big Red began defense of its 2015 district championship last week.
“It was definitely harder the second time around,” said Horne, the Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, after pitching Plymouth into the Sweet 16 with a 3-1 win over Lucas on Friday. “There was a lot more pressure on us.”
The Big Red (20-4) will play in the Division IV Kent State regional for a second straight year thanks largely to Horne. The hard-throwing senior picked up a pair of wins in last week’s Shelby district tournament. She struck out 11 in a 2-1 win over New London in the district semifinals and came back with 13 strikeouts in a 3-1 win over Lucas in the district final.
Horne was out early warming up Friday. She was displeased with her effort in the district semifinal win over New London after surrendering nine hits.
“She was a little disappointed in herself but we said, ‘Just get out there and do the job you need to do. Pitcher your game,’ ” Plymouth coach Tracy Arnold said. “She did a fabulous job. One run and 11 strikeouts is a bad day for her, but we’ll take it every time.”
Horne was back to her spectacular self against the Cubs. She limited a potent Lucas lineup to three singles and retired the final 11 batters she faced. She struck out five straight hitters in the fourth and fifth innings.
“I still struggled a little bit, but it was definitely much better,” Horne said. “They have great hitters. I tried to keep it out of the zone as much as I could. I threw a lot of junk and tried to get them to chase.”
The area leader in strikeouts two years in a row, Horne led Plymouth to its first ever regional appearance last spring. The Big Red fell to Cuyahoga Heights in the regional semifinals.
“Last year I don’t think I was as prepared for it as I should have been,” Horne said of the 12-2 loss. “This year I will have to be at the top of my game and pitch the best game I’ve ever pitched.”
Plymouth, which won an outright Firelands Conference championship for the first time since 2003, will play Lisbon David Anderson at 5 p.m. Thursday at KSU’s Diamond at Dix. The winner will play either Hillsdale or Bristolville Bristol at noon Saturday for a regional title and a berth in the state semifinals.
“I think we will be prepared to play as well as we can,” Horne said. “We want to keep this going.”
