Talent on full display during Ashland County Sports Hall of Fame All-Star softball game

ASHLAND — If an entertaining girl’s softball game was to your liking, the Ashland County Sports Hall of Fame 2023 All-Star Softball Game was the place to be at Brookside Park on Wednesday.

The All-Star Home Team staved off a furious late-inning rally by the All-Star Visitor Team to earn a 12-10 victory.

Trailing 11-4, the Visitors came up with six runs in the top of the seventh to pull to within 11-10 but the Home Team was allowed to bat in the bottom of the seventh as the final inning finds every player on each squad playing defense. The Home Team scored a single run in the bottom of the seventh to win by a pair of runs.

The game featured players from eight area schools with some players taking the diamond against their teammates.

And that’s what not only makes it interesting but also fun-filled.

For Hillsdale senior pitcher Taylor Morgan, who earned the win in the circle for the Home Team, she played alongside fellow classmate Baylea Baldner, but the pair faced off against fellow teammates Belle Dalton and Mollie Goon.

In her first plate appearance, Morgan set Dalton down on strikes, although Goon got a bloop single in her initial plate appearance. Dalton later ripped a single later in the game.

“It was so funny, they were just in there and waved at me and smiled, they actually asked me to throw them a couple of meatballs but obviously, I can’t do that,” Morgan said. “I gave them both one but it was fun seeing them in there. Belle, I threw her three rise balls in a row her first time up and she was a little upset about that.”

Now you have to understand, Dalton was Morgan’s battery mate this season, and the two are best of friends.

“I kind of knew what was going to happen, I mean we do live hitting during practice all of the time and it’s the same outcome every time, so we were there to have fun,” Dalton said with her usual giggle. “I told her I wanted her to give me a ‘fatt’ down the pipe but she wouldn’t give it to me. But it was so much fun. I think all of the girls had a great time, especially that last inning when we were talking and having a good time, nothing too serious.”

The game also featured twin sisters, seniors Holy Earl and Heidi Earl from Mapleton going head-to-head against each other.

Both fared well at the plate with Holly Earl posting a triple, double, two singles and an RBI for the Visitor Team. Heidi Earl legged out a triple, adding a single and plating a run for the Home Team.

“It was a great experience, it’s definitely different playing against her than with her I’d say,” Heidi Earl noted. “I’ve played against her a couple of times in scrimmages and stuff but nothing like a set game before like this.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely different playing against your sister because we’ve been playing together for so long, played on every team together, we’ve really never been apart,” Holly Earl pointed out. “It’s nice to see all of the good players from every team, and everybody is so good and everybody is so nice which is fun.”

Loudonville’s Peyton VanSiickle went 4-of-4 at the plate with a triple, a trio of singles and a pair of RBI for the Home Team, with Morgan belting a double, single and adding an RBI. New London’s Tara Davidson also had a pair of singles and drove in a run.

Northwestern’s Aubrey Franks recorded three singles and an RBI for the Visitor Team, with Lady Husky Daylie Rickard adding two singles, and Goon adding a pair of singles and driving in two runs.

The game also featured father and son umpires in Ean and Kevin Lehman. And Crestview’s Sophie Durbin, who walked her firs two times up and stole second each time, added an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Home Team.

Ashland seniors Haily Lang and Marcy Baker also played well with the former belting a 2-run double and the latter adding an RBI single.

“It was really fun, a high-scoring game and a lot of plays to be made,” said Baker, who also said it was a bit odd to come back out for the bottom of the seventh, even though the game’s outcome was already decided. “Especially with all of the people out there in the field but honestly, they did find a few gaps with some hits. I think it made it more fun though.”

Lang felt the game was fun for everyone involved.

“It was awesome. The season was over a while ago but just to come back out one more time, and to have fun, it was meaningful,” Lang offered. “We didn’t have any pressure of having to win, we just came to play with the best in the county.”

Morgan (5 strikeouts) and South Central’s Hannah Ayers (3 whiffs) threw for the Home Team with the Visitors getting innings in the circle from New Lonon’s Emilee Rowland (6 strikeouts), Loudonville’s Natalie Buzzard and Rickard.

Loudonville senior Maddie Kline may have summed the experience up the best.

“It was pretty fun and I like playing because I played with a lot of these girls when I was younger in travel ball, so it was good playing with them again,” noted Kline, who added it was good to suit up one last time as a Lady Redbird. “I was sad when the season ended so it was fun putting on my cleats one more time playing.”

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Talent on full display during Ashland County Sports Hall of Fame All-Star softball game