SHELBY — The Polar Bears never relented.
Second-seeded Margaretta scored in every inning and thundered to a run rule-shortened 11-1 win over No. 5 Clear Fork in the Division III district semifinals Wednesday at Shelby High School.
GALLERY: Margaretta 11, Clear Fork 1
Second-seeded Margaretta beat No. 5 Clear Fork 11-1 in a Division III district semifinal game Wednesday at Shelby High School. (photos by Curt Conrad, staff reporter)
Clear Fork's Melodie Blubaugh takes a cut during a Division III district semifinal game against Margaretta at Shelby.
The Polar Bears (19-9) banged out 11 hits and drew five walks off two Clear Fork pitchers. Margaretta took advantage of two Colts' errors to score five unearned runs, including three in the home half of the first to grab a quick 3-0 lead.
“We scuffled coming out of the gate, but then we won 11 in a row down the stretch,” said Margaretta coach Dale Dawson, who led the Polar Bears to a district title for the first time in 30 years last spring.
“We’ve been relentless the last couple of weeks.”
Margaretta pitcher Mariah Fields worked out of a jam in the top of the first before the offense went to work. Speedy leadoff hitter Lilly Edwards reached on a two-base throwing error and moved to third on Jamie Opfer’s single. Edwards scored on Cassie Lane’s base hit and both Opfer and Lane came around to score on Ellianna Young’s two-out double.
“They played like we played for the last month and we played the opposite,” Clear Fork coach Chris Clapper said. “They never took their foot off the gas and we couldn’t get our foot on the gas.”
Margaretta added three more runs in the second on Fields’ three-run double to take a 6-0 lead. The Polar Bears added a run in the third and two more in the fourth for a 9-0 advantage.
Clear Fork (17-9) scored its lone run in the top of the fifth to make it 9-1. Bri Patterson led off with a single and came all the way around to score on Melodie Blubaugh’s one-out double.
The Polar Bears finished it off with two runs in the home half of the fifth.
Pacey Chrastina surrendered seven runs on eight hits, but only two runs were earned. She struck out one and walked two.
Fields went the distance for Margaretta, scattering five hits. She struck out six and walked three.
“She’s a pitcher. She’s a good spinner,” Dawson said of Fields. “She really understands the importance of set-up pitches. She’ll work inside to set up something away.”
Blubaugh led Clear Fork with two hits, including a double. Katrina Rogers doubled, while Patterson and Ava Carr each had a hit.
Opfer led Margaretta with three hits and scored three runs. Fields had a pair of hits and drove in four, while Young and Cassie Lane each knocked in a pair.
Margaretta will try to defend its district title against Sandusky Bay Conference rival Huron. The top-seeded Tigers, who beat No. 4 Upper Sandusky in Wednesday’s early game, split with Margaretta during the regular season and shared the SBC’s Bay Division crown.
“We expect another good game,” Dawson said. “It should be a lot of fun.”