CARLISLE – The Greenville Lady Wave took home the Gold winning its 15th OHSAA DII District Championship in the past 17 seasons with an 11-2 over the No. 1 seed New Richmond Lady Lions.
“We’ve won it 15 of the last 17 years and that’s just unprecedented,” said Greenville coach, Jerrod Newland. “It’s nuts but that right there is what it’s all about. We’re all family in this together and we’re experiencing this 2023 journey together – I love the kids and I love the family. Just proud of the kids – we’re on a mission.”
“New Richmond has three or four really neat ballplayers,” Coach Newland added. “They have won 42 of the last 45 games they have played in the last two years and a good team. I knew today would be a good score.”
The Lady Wave came to the plate first to open the game taking the field as the visitors and went down quietly on both the first and second innings while the Lady Lions were denting the plate for a run in the bottom of the first to lead 1-0 after two-innings of play.
Greenville plated a run in the top of the third to even the score at 1-1 and took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth. The Lady Lions put runners on first and third in the bottom of the fourth with no out but was unable to plate a run with a screaming shoe-top liner to first with Addie Burke making the catch and stepping on first for a double play. Zoey Burns followed with a strikeout to snuff out the New Richmond threat.
The Lady Wave added three runs in the fifth bringing a New Richmond pitching change.
Greenville’s strong performance at the plate produced 3-runs in both the sixth and seventh-innings to go along with the three fifth-inning runs with New Richmond adding a single run in the bottom of the sixth giving the Greenville girls the District title.
The win gives the Lady Wave a 27-4 season mark with its 18th consecutive win of the 2023 season and lands the Greenville girls in the Sweet 16.
Greenville sophomore Zoey Burns went the distance on the mound allowing one-earned run on six-hits, no walks while striking out three.
Greenville pounded out 13-hits on the day with five Lady Wave collecting 2-hits including Mahayla Cook’s 2-3 with 2-doubles, a sacrifice bunt and 3-runs scored.
“Big time player – she’s coming on here lately,” Coach Newland said of his junior leftfielder, Mahayla Cook. “She hits two doubles and the next time up the coach asks her to bunt. She bunts the ball and we score two runs after it so I’m more excited about her dropping it down, moving two kids. She got her first double which was run one. Cook’s a stud, got a cannon, plays well and she is coming on.”
Skylar Fletcher went 2-3 with 3-RBIs and a run scored; Burns 2-3 including a double, a walk, 2-RBIs; Kylie Hamm, 2-4, 1-RBI, 1-run and Alaina Baughn 2-4. Kylar Arnett clubbed a triple, 3-RBIs and 2-runs; Addie Burke 1-3, 1-run and Ashlyn Zimmer went 1-5 with a RBI.
The 27-4 Lady Wave advance in tournament play Wednesday, May 24 when they take on the Taylor Lady Yellow Jackets, a team they defeated 4-3 in extra innings in the 2022 District finals with Burns going the distance allowing one-earned run on 2-hits over 8-innins of play. The game starts at 2 p.m. at Wright State University.
“I like where we’re at and we’ll have a great game plan to go at them,” Coach Newland stated. “I can’t wait for the opportunity for our team to lineup and play and punch our ticket to the Elite 8.”
BOX SCORE
123 456 7 R H E
100 001 0 2 6 7 New Richmond
001 133 3 11 13 2 Greenville
