Unioto softball cracks Fairland, punches ticket to second consecutive Division II district final
ATHENS — Ask any member of Unioto softball team's lineup what's brought them success in the postseason and beyond, and every player is bound to give you the same answer.
Trust.
The Shermans know what they can accomplish as a lineup and how they can stretch the longevity of their run in the state tournament. It helps to have a roster full of seniors that brought home a Gold Ball for the first time in over two decades.
Even now, that trust is paying dividends. A second trip to the district finals in two years is proof enough of that. Abbie Marshall went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run, and Ava Dettwiller went 1-for-3 with an RBI to lead Unioto to a 4-1 win over Fairland in the Division II district semifinals on Wednesday.
"We have trust all the way through our lineup," Marshall said. "Everyone has their moments at different times, so I think we were just waiting on that to come in a timely manner."
One side had to crack sooner or later. Neither Unioto nor Fairland managed more than one hit in any of the first three innings. Hannah Hull shut the Dragons out through the first four, and she gave up just three hits in that span. Come game's end, Hall had fanned seven batters and kept the Dragons — who averaged almost eight runs per game ahead of Wednesday — to a lone run in the fifth.
Unioto did require some time to adjust as well. Marshall kept the Shermans afloat after hitting a double in the first and singling two innings later to put up her team's first two hits of the game.
The rest of the Shermans weren't far behind. Fairland jumped ahead with an RBI single in the top of the fifth, but it didn't last. Ava Dettwiller matched the Dragons after cracking a single to center field, driving Marshall home and ending the Shermans' drought.
"I'm a senior, I didn't want this to be my last game," Dettwiller said. "Every at-bat, I don't want it to be my last. Just going up with the mentality, 'Get a hit and put the bat on the ball,' and we'll make things happen."
Dettwiller's RBI opened the gate and Unioto flooded through. It sent Fairland down in order the next inning and pounded out four hits in the sixth. Peyton Robinson, Alexis Book and Morgan Daniels crossed home and buried the Dragons further.
Unioto put up six hits combined through the first five innings. It put up three in the sixth, which translated to another three runs and put Fairland on the backfoot. One inning wasn't enough time to mount a response. Not on Unioto's watch. A strikeout and a groundout to Megan Miller closed the window, and a final tag at third base locked it tight.
"After that first round through, we made one adjustment," Unioto coach Rob Hull said. "It surprised them. That's within them. I tell them what kind of adjustments we should make, and it's up to them at the plate to make that adjustment. But they all did it, and that's when the bats really started coming alive."
History doesn't repeat, but it does often like to rhyme. Unioto's been in this position before. Last year, it secured a spot in the district finals and carried that momentum on a run that reached the regional finals. The chance to repeat that run is lining up with its upcoming district final against Circleville.
But the Shermans aren't phased by the pressure, and neither is Hull. The season's not over yet, and the Shermans are determined to keep running as long as possible.
"This group, they have goals," Hull said. "They know their goals, they set those goals last year right at the very end. They know what they want to get to, and they'll all tell you they want to get to state. They understand though, one game at a time. They are that caliber of team to actually get there. But it is them that's put in the work, I'm just along for the ride."
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Unioto cracks Fairland, punches ticket to Division II district final
