Highland softball outlasts Granville in extra innings
GRANVILLE — When Guinevere Jackson steps to the plate, the Highland softball team expects their senior leadoff hitter to deliver.
Jackson did just that Tuesday, recording a clutch hit in the sixth inning and scoring the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, leading No. 8 Highland to a nail-biting 6-5 victory at No. 2 Granville in a Division II district semifinal. The Scots advanced to their first district final since 2010.
“We have had teams in the past where we said we were going to make it, and we had the ability to make it,” said Jackson, a left-handed hitting center fielder who singled to lead off the ninth. “This year, we weren’t really sure because we were really young, but we are working together. We have really bonded over this tournament run.”
The Scots (13-10) play top-seeded Jonathan Alder (20-5) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Pickerington Central. The Pioneers beat No. 3 River Valley 5-3 on Tuesday.
Freshman Kate Clements followed in the ninth with a bloop hit to left, and sophomore Aubree Bellamy squeezed home Jackson two batters later. Bellamy later scored on a wild pitch.
“I’m so proud of them because we are a really young team," Highland coach Abby Steele said. "We have eight new varsity members, but our four seniors really stepped up. Holy cow, nine innings. … I was really proud of our girls being able to handle that pressure.”
It was a needed insurance run because Granville junior Emily Travis led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run just beyond Jackson’s reach. Highland senior ace right-hander Stevie Asher, however, pitched around a two-out single to seal the win.
The power-hitting Blue Aces (19-8) took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning on senior Morgan Layne’s two-run single. Asher was able to keep them off-balance the rest of the way.
“It was a good softball game, and we ended up on the bad side of a good game,” Granville coach Brooke Warehime said. “The kids played hard like they did all year. They never give up. They keep battling back, and we just came up short. It stings because I know these girls wanted this.”
Granville received a shot in the arm with the return of junior ace right-hander Ally Ernsberger, who pitched for the first time in more than two weeks after suffering an ankle injury. Highland senior Abby Jordan hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Warehime went to sophomore Megan Lodge in the sixth, but Jackson lined a two-out, two-run single to give Highland a 4-3 lead. After Lodge tied it in the bottom of the inning with an RBI double, Warehime went back to Ernsberger for the final three innings.
“We have been working with (Ernsberger) since the weekend when she started getting some strength back in it and felt like she could throw,” Warehime said. “We said, ‘Whatever we can get out of you, because there is no tomorrow if we don’t win.’ We got more than we expected.”
Ernsberger struck out eight and allowed eight hits and three earned runs. Asher struck out nine for the Scots as the Blue Aces totaled 12 hits, but Asher walked just one and held the Blue Aces to 4 for 18 with a runner in scoring position.
Freshman Dalaynie Hernandez had a team-best three hits and scored a run for Highland. Clements matched Jackson with two hits out of the top two spots in the order.
“I told the girls every run matters,” Steele said. “Be patient up there, but once you get that pitch, you have to be able to go with it. We were able to suicide squeeze in that winning run. There is nothing more fun than that.”
Travis and classmate Alyssa Guglielmi had three hits apiece for Granville, and Layne, who will be graduating with Rowan Jordan and Erin Chaffee, added two.
It was deja vu for Granville, which lost to Highland in the bottom of the seventh inning in a second-round game last season.
“For a team scoring a lot of runs, we just couldn’t get enough tonight,” Warehime said.
Highland found some of that magic on Tuesday. The Scots will ride the high from a thrilling win into Saturday’s battle with Alder, the reigning state runner-up.
“We’ve always battled back when we’re down,” Jackson said. “Last year, we had a lot of walk-offs. We just never give up. We try to focus on the next at-bat.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Highland Scots softball outlasts Granville in extra innings
