SHELBY, Ohio — His team didn’t warm up especially well, didn’t put a ball in play in the first and left the bases loaded in the second, yet Plymouth coach Troy Keene had a good feeling.
It turns out the Big Red had everything under control.
Plymouth erupted for eight runs in the third inning and thundered to an 11-0 run rule-shortened win over Seneca East in Friday’s Division IV district championship game at Shelby High School.
The Big Red (17-11) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history and will play defending state champ Cuyahoga Heights in the Kent State regional semifinal at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
“We didn’t go through pregame very well. We didn’t take soft toss very well,” Keene said. “I didn’t think we were focused.”
Things would get worse for the Big Red before they got better. Seneca East pitcher Paige Reichert struck out the side in the first and, after Plymouth loaded the bases with one out in the second, record two more strikeouts to keep the game scoreless.
“I was happy when we came back into the dugout because I knew we were on her,” Keene said. “We came out that next inning. We got one out and just rolled right through the lineup. Everyone in the lineup contributed.”
Taking Charge: Reichert picked up her sixth strikeout to start the third before the wheels came off for the Tigers (19-8). Haley Lunsford started the Plymouth rally with a double to left center and scored the first run of the game when Addyson Horne doubled just over the outstretched glove of Seneca East right fielder Cassandra Linkey. Grace Brown drove in Horne with a single before Haven Keene was hit by a pitch. Lexi Washburn singled to load the bases and Brooklyn Shepherd singled in Brown.
“It was just one of those days,” Seneca East coach Jerry Hassinger said. “Nothing seemed to go right … and I told them that’s my fault.”
Reichert was lifted in favor of Hannah Martin, but the pitching change didn’t slow down the Big Red. Tatium Robinson and Janet Arnold had RBI singles — Plymouth’s sixth and seventh hits of the inning — and three runs scored on wild pitches.
Plymouth sent 12 batters to the plate in the third.
“We’ve had one or two (big innings), but not many,” Keene said. “This is the biggest shock to me.”
Adding On: The Big Red scored three more runs in the fourth. Brown doubled belted a double — her third hit of the afternoon — to lead off the inning, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error. Shepherd and Robinson also drove in runs in the frame.
Untouchable: Lost in the offensive explosion was the overpowering performance by Horne. Plymouth’s ace struck out eight in five innings and surrendered just one hit, a flare off the bat of Bre Heal in the fifth.
“It feels great to win a district championship,” Horne said. “We’ve been sectional champs the last three years, but we never made it past the (district semifinal). We believed and really wanted it.”
Payback: Seneca East beat Plymouth 5-2 on May 7. The Tigers used a big inning of their own to blow that game open.
“When we played them earlier in the season, they had their inning like that,” Horne said. “It kind of flipped around.”
Golden Touch: It’s been a memorable year for Keene, who led the Plymouth boys basketball team to a district title in March.
So which district crown is more satisfying?
“They are all special,” Keene said. “In basketball, we were favored. We weren’t favored in this one.
“Two weeks ago, the way we were playing, I didn’t know if we could even win a sectional game. These girls have kind of taken on my personality the last two weeks. They’ve gotten tough and really responded well.”
“It feels great to win a district championship,” Addyson Horne said. “We’ve been sectional champs the last three years, but we never made it past the (district semifinal). We believed and really wanted it.”
