ATTICA, Ohio — A disastrous second inning was too much for Clear Fork to overcome.
Trailing 3-0, second-seeded Bellevue sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight runs in an 8-4 win over the third-seeded Colts in a Division II district semifinal at Seneca East High School.
Bellevue will play either No. 4 Shelby or No. 1 Edison in the district championship game at 5 p.m. Friday at Seneca East. Shelby and Edison will meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the other district semifinal.
Clear Fork finished the season at 21-8.
“We are the type of team that can’t give up a big inning,” Clear Fork coach Jeff Gottfried said. “We told the girls (Monday) if we give up a big spot like that, we’re going to be in trouble.”
Out of the Gate: The Colts jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Erika Farst led off with a single to left and moved to second on Darien Gottfried’s sacrifice bunt. The speedy Farst stole third and scored when Montana Walker reached on an error. Walker would come around to score on Bellevue’s second error of the inning before Caitlynn Hilverding stole home when Becca Conn intentionally got caught in a rundown between first and second.
“We were able to play our game. We put some pressure on them,” Gottfried said. “If there is one thing we could have done better it’s keep that pressure up. We just didn’t.”
Second-Inning Meltdown: After going in order in the first, Bellevue came to life in the second. Carly Santoro was hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved to second on Abby Yates’ single. Santoro and Yates moved up on Hannah Ruffing’s sacrifice bunt and Jena Weider drove in Santoro with a single. Yates was gunned down at the plate for the second out of the inning on Mayce Buckner’s fielder’s choice before No. 9 hitter McKenzie McMurray drew a walk to load the bases. Sophia Pressler followed with a bases-clearing triple to left to give Bellevue a 4-3 lead.
“We missed our location with a pitch there,” Gottfried said. “We wee trying to go in on her hands and we got it out over the plate and she was able to drive it.”
Lyndsey Seamon tripled to center to plate Pressler and scored on a Morgan Andrews double. Santoro was hit by a pitch for a second time in the inning and a Clear Fork error allowed Andrews and Santoro to score.
“I’ve been saying this is the best hitting team I’ve ever had,” longtime Bellevue coach Walt Snyder said. “That one inning kind of proved my point.
“That’s not the first time (Pressler) has burned people. Everybody plays her in because they think she’s a slapper, but she really has some power.”
Missed Opportunities: Bellevue left the door open by committing six errors. Clear Fork had a runner at second with nobody out in the third and loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but failed to score.
“If you look back at the mistakes they made, they made them with two outs,” Gottfried said. “You can get away with some of those two-out errors, especially if the other team doesn’t have the right kids at the plate. They didn’t make any key errors where we had the bases loaded with our three-hole hitter up.”
Clear Fork scored its final run in the fifth when Walker reached on an error and scored on Hilverding’s double.
Successful Season: The Colts won a share of the Ohio Cardinal Conference championship and claimed a sectional title.
“One game doesn’t make a season,” Gottfried said. “If people had to predict what we were going to do this year, it wasn’t going to be what we did. To get a share (of the OCC title) with our backs against the wall with three games to go. We had a big two weeks.
“We didn’t have a letdown today. We were ready to play, but we just ran into a better team.”
“We didn’t have a letdown today. We were ready to play, but we just ran into a better team,” Clear Fork Coach Gottfried said.
