Redemption: Poston delivers in the circle, at the plate in Lancaster’s district final win
PICKERINGTON – Reese Poston is one of those rare players who, when the stakes are at their highest, and pressure is on, can take her game to another level and deliver.
Poston certainly did that on Saturday during the Lady Gales’ 2-0 Central District Division I district championship game win over Olentangy Liberty at Pickerington Central.
Poston fired a one-hitter and hit a solo home run in the fourth inning as Lancaster won its third district title in the last four years. Poston helped lead them to the previous two during her freshman and sophomore years by picking up the win in the circle, but it was a loss in last year’s final that had Poston laser-focused on Saturday against the Patriots.
“I knew how we fell short in this game last year, and I was going to come out here and give it my all no matter what,” Poston said. “This was a redemption game for me and the team. I know I didn’t get the outcome I wanted last year, and I was going to make sure that didn’t happen again.”
Lancaster (27-3) advances to the Sweet 16 and will face Teays Valley (19-7) in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Big Walnut High School. The Vikings defeated Marysville 8-7 in eight innings.
“Their main focus was one game at a time and play each game like it’s our last game and give it everything we’ve got,” Lancaster coach Allie Kinnaird said. “They wanted to win a district title because we fell short last year, but they are not accepting of this, they want more.”
Once again, Poston takes her game to another level
A year ago, in a district final loss against Marysville, Poston wasn’t as sharp as usual, but on Saturday, she showed she wasn’t messing around as she struck out the side in the top of the first inning.
She was emotional after each strikeout, and anyone who has seen Poston pitch knew she was going to deliver a gem because of her burning desire to atone for last year. She was feeling it in the circle by not allowing a hit until the sixth inning. She finished with 11 strikeouts.
“I was locked in from the start. I would reach down and grab some dirt and talk to myself a little,” Poston said. “I was tuned into myself today and focused on my pitches. I wasn’t trying to strike everyone out, but just throwing to get weak ground balls. This was a big accomplishment for me.
“There was a little pressure on all of us to win after losing last year, but now that we are here, it’s a big weight off our shoulders. Now it’s time to attack the next game and the regionals.”
The Patriots had runners in scoring position only twice, once in the fourth and the top of the seventh inning after a walk and an error. However, Poston wasn’t fazed as she struck the next batter out to end the game.
“She is a competitor. When the game is on the line and the pressure is there, she continues to come through,” Kinniard said. “She is not rattled with runners on first and second in the seventh inning. She just has that ice running through her veins where she doesn’t feel the pressure and rises to the occasion, and she makes it happen.”
Hits were hard to come by
Lancaster averages more than 10 runs per game but the Gales just couldn’t get their offense on track as they were held to just three hits, but they made them count.
Lancaster got on the board in the third inning after Ky Pugh led off with a single. With two outs in the inning, Jenna Spurling was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Kendall Brown delivered as she just missed hitting a home run on a laser shot that hit the fence through the air. She was limited to a single, but Pugh was able to score.
In the fourth inning, Poston hit a towering solo home run, her first of the season, to give the Gales a much-needed insurance run.
“It was amazing because haven’t been hitting the way I’ve wanted to, so to come out and do that was an amazing feeling and good timing.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Poston delivers in the circle, at the plate in district final win
