Dover softball grabs lead and never looks back in sectional championship vs. Indian Valley

DOVER — Dover combined an outstanding pitching performance by sophomore Kara Lint with some clutch hitting to overpower Indian Valley 8-2 before a large crowd in a Division II sectional championship softball game Friday at sun-splashed Dover City Park.

“It was a great team effort — a great day,” Dover coach Hannah Duff said after the Crimson Tornadoes turned back Indian Valley for the first time in their past three postseason meetings. “I think it’s been a while since Dover has beaten Indian Valley in the tournament, so it definitely had some drive in us today and they did the job.”

“That’s a good darn softball team over there and I’m proud to say we stood toe-to-toe for five-and-a-half innings,” Indian Valley coach Dusty Braun said.

The win launches top-seeded Dover (23-3) into the Division II district where it will play fifth-seeded Steubenville at 5 p.m. Monday at the Conotton Valley softball field. Steubenville advanced Friday with a 9-6 win over No. 9 seed West Muskingum.

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Indian Valley, which won the Inter-Valley Conference South title again this season, bows out of the campaign with a 16-7 record.

Lint was masterful in the circle for the Tornadoes as she struck out 14 Brave batters and walked just one in the complete-game triumph.

“She pitched fabulous,” Duff said. “She was dialed in from the very beginning. Her first inning was great and then she just just got the job done because they (the Braves) are a good hitting team. She 100% did her job.”

Lint deflected the success away from herself toward her teammates.

“We got our bats going when we needed them,” she said.

Leading Dover's offense were Olivia McCue (three-run home run), Jenna Molk (double and two walks), Charlie Reese (RBI single and an RBI on a sacrifice) and Alli Hupp (single).

Dover also made the most of the six walks it received as well as two costly errors by the Braves.

Leading Indian Valley’s offense were Natalie Musser (four singles), Gabby Meade (RBI single), Sadie Dryden (double and a single), Lani Abbuhl (single) and Ashleigh Baker (single).

Indian Valley’s speedy leadoff hitter, Musser, got the Braves on the scoreboard when she opened the top of the third with an infield single. She then stole second base and raced home on an infield throwing error following a ground ball out.

Dover wasted little time setting the tone in a game it would never trail as the Tornadoes went out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Molk opened the game with a bloop double and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by McCue. After Lainey Kohler was hit by a pitch, Reese stepped to the plate and executed a successful RBI sacrifice bunt as Molk raced home. A throw to third on the play sailed high and Kohler scampered home on the error.

But Dover began to put some distance between itself and the Braves in the bottom of the fifth when it scored three runs on just one hit. Following a strikeout to open the frame, Dover’s Madeline Fockler and Molk drew walks. McCue had a sacrifice bunt to put runners at second and third and Kohler then hit an infield fly that was dropped for an error as one run raced home. Reese then stepped to the plate and had an infield single as another runner crossed the plate to make it 4-1. Moments later, Dover made it 5-1 when a runner at third raced home on a wild pitch.

“You can’t give them opportunities,” Braun said. “When opportunity knocks, you’ve got to be on the other side of the door.”

The hosts blew the game wide open in the bottom of the seventh. Allie Hupp singled to left and Molk drew another intentional walk to put runners at first and second. McCue then stepped to the dish and drove a pitch deep over the center field fence for a three-run home run and an 8-1 Dover advantage.

Indian Valley scored its second and final run in the top of the seventh when Musser reached on a bunt single, stole second and scored on a bloop single to right by Gabby Meade, making it 8-2. But Lint closed out the game one batter later with her 14th strikeout.

Duff said his Tornadoes are playing some of the best softball of the season as they head to district play.

“They’ve played good ball all year but they are definitely starting to realize they have the ability to do the job,” she said.

Meanwhile, Braun praised his nine departing seniors at Indian Valley and all they’ve accomplished in their careers.

“It’s nine seniors in this group and that’s tough for me, this is the winningest group at Indian Valley,” he said. “They’ve been to the regional three years in a row and it (losing) is tough to take but we’ll grow and we’ll be back.”

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Dover softball beats Indian Valley for DII sectional championship