MANSFIELD, Ohio — Emily Sedmak didn’t pitch like a freshman.
Galion’s ace struck out six and scattered four hits in seven shutout innings as the Tigers picked up a 3-0 on a deceptively cold and blustery Tuesday afternoon at Mansfield Christian.
“She’s just a freshman, but she’s really helped us out,” Galion coach Doug Hunt said. “We’re looking for big things from her in the future. We’re pretty excited about that.”
The Tigers (4-11) gave Sedmak all the support she would need in the top of the first, scoring a run off MCS starter Karly Adkins. The score would remain 1-0 until the top of the seventh, when Galion scored a pair of insurance runs.
The Flames (3-12) had opportunities to get to Sedmak, but the freshman was able to work out of trouble time and again.
“That has been an issue for us recently,” MCS coach Kelly Taylor said. “We struggled to get people on base early in the season. Now that we’re getting on base, putting together back-to-back hits and getting runners around has been a challenge.”
Big Sticks: The Tigers banged out nine hits off Adkins. Sedmak, Dusty Thomas, Gabby Kaple and Jaime Ehrman each had two hits. Kaple knocked in two runs and stroked a double. Sedmak also doubled.
“We’ve been in a hitting slump for a while,” Hunt said. “It’s good to see the bats starting to come alive. We had been hitting the ball hard, but right at people.”
Ni Virden, the only senior in the Mansfield Christian lineup, had a pair of hits, including a double. Kirsten Houseman and Mya Taylor each had a single.
On the Rise: Mansfield Christian was coming off a 4-2 loss to perennial powerhouse Loudonville.
“We are headed in the right direction,” Taylor said. “The first time we played Loudonville, we were coming off a string of games where we had gotten run-ruled. We lost that game 8-2. The second time around, we felt like we could compete with them. That was the best we have played defensively.”
Rugged Schedule: The Tigers will host Jonathan Alder on Wednesday. Alder is ranked second in Division II in the week Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association state poll.
“The first time we played them, we played well through five innings,” Hunt said. “There are three or four ranked teams in our league. Playing against teams like that should help us once we get to the postseason.”
