Mentor vs. Riverside softball: Ireland Rainey's two-run walk-off hit leads Cardinals past Beavers
Apr. 18—You would have had a hard time finding a cloud in the sky on April 18, but it was still a Rainey day for the Mentor softball team.
Freshman Ireland Rainey rifled a two-run single to right in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Cardinals a 6-5, walkoff victory over Riverside in a battle of two highly ranked teams in the News-Herald's Top of the Crop.
Down, 5-3, heading to the bottom of the seventh, Mentor loaded the bases with no one out, closed the gap to 5-4 when Gabi Dadante scored on a wild pitch and then walked it off when Sophia Smalley and Mak Kobetitsch scored on Ireland's single to right.
Ireland Rainey @MHSsoftball24 walks it off with a 2-run single in the 7th first a 6-5 win over @RHSFastpitchOH pic.twitter.com/9QnP6zjUgw
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) April 18, 2024
The win improves Mentor's record to 10-4, while Riverside fell to 9-6.
The win over the Beavers give the Cardinals their first win over their neighbors to the east since beating them twice in the 2019 season — a season in which Riverside bounced back and beat Mentor in the Division I tournament later that spring.
"I don't think a lot of people say they want a freshman in that situation, but that's who we'd want in that situation," Mentor coach Jo Bondra said. "She's been out here hitting every single day. She did a great job today."
PHOTOS: Mentor vs. Riverside softball, April 18, 2024
Riverside, which had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 5-3 lead with a five-run sixth inning, was on the doorstep of blowing the game wide open in the seventh with two runners in scoring position. But Kobetitsch ignited her team with a diving catch in foul territory off the bat of Riverside slugger Maddie Proud to keep it a two-run game heading to the bottom of the seventh.
And it's all tied up, Milana McCaleb scores on a wild pitch. @MHSsoftball24 and @RHSFastpitchOH are 3-3 pic.twitter.com/oIkfPDTjYf
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) April 18, 2024
After Dadante singled to left to start the home half of the seventh, Smalley reached on an infield single and Kobetitsch reached on a fielder's choice to third when the tag at the hot corner was too late to nab Dadante. That chased Riverside starter Annaliese Davis from the game in favor of Clara Granchi.
After Dadante scampered home on a wild pitch, Rainey, who had singled and doubled earlier in the game, took an outside pitch to right for the game-winner.
Ireland Rainey of @MHSsoftball24 discusses her game-winning 2-run hit against @RHSFastpitchOH today. pic.twitter.com/UKp16wZBzm
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) April 18, 2024
"I've been struggling with outside pitches," Rainey said. "I know I can hit them now. ... I had a lot of confidence going up there. I knew I had to get at least one run in to tie the game. I got two, so that's good."
The loss left Riverside coach Bill Ross lamenting the same thing that has stung his team all year — late-game losses.
"I feel like I'm giving you the same message," he said. "We've gotta figure out how to finish games. ... You've gotta give Mentor credit. They came out ready to win that game. They got hits in the seventh and got the win."
It was a scoreless game in the bottom of the fourth when Mentor erupted for three runs with a Rainey single, a Maggie Haydu walk and a Maddie Menough single loading the bases. Olivia Sacks scored the first run on a grounder, then two came home on Dadante's single to left.
Gabi Dadante 2-run single gives @MHSsoftball24 a 3-0 lead over @RHSFastpitchOH after four. pic.twitter.com/GBW85fucZY
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) April 18, 2024
It stayed that way until the sixth when Riverside scored five runs with the help of ony two hits. Proud hit and RBI single to score Becca Tornow, Emi Jeras lifted a sacrifice fly to score Granchi and Milana McCaleb scored on a wild pitch to even the score at 3-3.
An Olivia Powell sac fly and another wild pitch gave Riverside the 5-3 lead.
That led to the thrilling finish, starting with Kobetitsch's diving catch in foul territory to end the top of the seventh and then the Cardinals big rally in the bottom of the frame.
Incredible catch by @MHSsoftball24 Mak Kobetitsch in foul territory pic.twitter.com/PpkRgpiBU4
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) April 18, 2024
"Mak's diving play I think kind of lit a fire," Bondra said. "People see our senior captains not giving up. I told the team (after the catch) we're either going to step up here or follow the same pattern from the last few years."
Coach Jo Bondra of @MHSsoftball24 says Mak Kobetitsch's catch in the top of the seventh ignited her team in a6-5 walk off win over @RHSFastpitchOH today pic.twitter.com/8UbAyDfBSd
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) April 18, 2024
Most of Mentor's games this season have come out of the area via the Cardinals' 5-0 start in the Greater Cleveland Conference slate, though the Cardinals did lose to North, 9-5, earlier this year.
"To come back home and get a win against another Northeastern Ohio team is a good feeling," she said.
For Riverside, it's back to the drawing board. After an 8-2 loss to Austintown Fitch earlier this week (in which Fitch scored six runs in the top of the seventh), the Beavers were tied 0-0 with North on April 17 before rain postponed the game until later this season.
The Beavers play Walsh Jesuit on April 19 and then a twinbill in Akron on April 20 against North Canton Hoover and Akron Ellet.
"We can't stay down," Ross said. "We can't pout about it. We've got another tomorrow, two on Saturday and a bunch next week."
Coach Bill Ross @RHSFastpitchOH laments a 6-5 loss to @MHSsoftball24 today. pic.twitter.com/F7IJu1PDqV
— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) April 18, 2024
THE SCORE
Mentor 6, Riverside 5
