FINDLAY — Cardington’s Casey Bertke didn’t need a lot of run support Wednesday afternoon.
The Pirates gave their ace everything she needed in the first inning of the Division III regional semifinal game against Galion at Findlay High School.
Baylee Adams belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the first and Cardington cruised to a 9-2 win over the Tigers.
Fourth-ranked Cardington will play No. 5 Pemberville Eastwood for the regional crown at noon Saturday in Findlay in a rematch of last year’s regional final, won by Cardington. Eastwood blanked Sherwood Fairview 7-0 in Wednesday’s early game.
A hard-throwing 6-foot-3 sophomore right-hander, Bertke scattered seven bits while striking out five. She worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth and retired the final eight batters she faced.
“If you talk to her, she’s the most laid-back girl,” Cardington coach Tod Brininger said. “She never gets flustered, even when we’re screwing stuff up. She’s used to having the lead and she can dominate when she wants to.”
The Pirates (24-3) spotted Bertke to a 3-0 lead just three batters into the game. Leadoff hitter Brooklyn Whitt singled and moved to third when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Kierson George drew a walk before Adams, a sophomore second baseman, belted a three-run shot over the wall in left.
“That’s what we wanted to do, come out and strike first,” Galion coach Doug Hunt said. “We were the away team and wanted to get that run first, but we didn’t get it done.”
Cardington added three unearned runs in the second, taking advantage of a pair of Galion errors to build a 6-0 lead. Rylie Partlow belted a two-run double in the frame.
The Pirates added two more in the fourth to take an 8-0 lead. Bertke helped her own cause with a two-run double.
The Tigers (16-7) got on the board in the fifth. Katie Schieber singled and moved to third on Nevaeh Clark’s deep single. Clark injured her knee when she landed awkwardly on first base and was lifted for pinch runner Anissa Sublet. Schieber scored on Emily Sedmak’s sacrifice bunt and Sublet scored when Gracie Groves’ ground ball was misplayed.
Cardington scored its final run in the bottom of the sixth when No. 9 hitter Ally Moore stroked a two-out single and scored on Whitt’s RBI-double.
“I don’t think our team ever let down,” Galion assistant coach Todd Galownia said. “We just couldn’t get the big hit and they did.”
The Tigers will return their entire roster next spring.
“Basically that’s what we said after the game. We have everybody back and here’s the road map,” Hunt said. “You can see what you’ve got to do.”
