PLEASANT HILL – The Greenville Lady Wave are headed back to Akron.
Behind another dominant pitching performance from sophomore ace Ella Oswalt and timely offense, Greenville defeated the Western Brown Lady Broncos 4-0 Friday night to capture the OHSAA Division III Regional Championship and earn a berth in the state semifinals. The victory sends the Lady Wave to the Final Four for the fifth time under Hall of Fame coach Jerrod Newland.
“Great day for Lady Wave Softball,” said Newland following the win. “The Wave Lady Nation traveled heavy here to Newton and so awesome and 31-1 – goodness gracious. Heading to state, fifth final four.”
Greenville wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Leah Force reached on a Western Brown error to lead off the game, advanced to third on a passed ball and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Lizzie Shaffer to give the Lady Wave an early 1-0 lead.
“We know what skills they can do, and they can do well,” Newland said. “My job as the coach of Greenville High School is to put those kids in position to execute to the best of their ability and with our staff we know who can do what because we do it in practice and just proud of them.”
Oswalt worked out of trouble in the bottom of the first inning, stranding a leadoff runner with the help of two strikeouts and a popup to senior second baseman Lily Brubaker.
The Lady Wave offense added to the lead in the third inning when freshman catcher Jordyn McMullen launched a solo home run to lead off the frame. Greenville kept the pressure on with singles from Force and Oswalt before Brubaker delivered an RBI single to center, pushing the advantage to 3-0.
“She’s a good kid, she’s a big timer, and yes, she’s a freshman,” Newland said of McMullen. “As soon as they were throwing her outside, I thought about it, and I remembered one she hit a couple weeks ago. I called time and went up there in the middle of her bat, and she slowed down and let it get on her, and boom, it went out by a ways – it was a good shot, a very big shot, a big momentum play for us.”
Greenville added an insurance run in the fourth inning. Kendall Cromwell and Kara Blumenstock opened the inning with singles before Hallee Fourman drew a walk. With the bases loaded and two outs, Force worked a full-count walk to force in a run and extend the lead to 4-0.
That proved to be more than enough support for Oswalt.
Western Brown collected nine hits, but Greenville’s defense repeatedly came up with key plays. One of the biggest defensive moments came in the fifth inning when left fielder Rielynn Davidson threw out Kaylee Harmon attempting to stretch a leadoff single into a double.
Oswalt continued her remarkable postseason run, tossing a complete-game shutout. The sophomore allowed nine hits and one walk while striking out seven. She threw 126 pitches, including 86 strikes, and improved to 5-0 in tournament play without surrendering a run.
“It’s wild, I love her,” Newland said of his standout pitcher. “She keeps us in a lot of games, she’s crafted her skill and why she is great, she plays for the name on the front and her buy in and love for her teammates and to not worry about the name on the back, but to worry about the name on the front and stay within herself and she is so mature for her age and I am just glad she is on my team.”
Newland also praised the partnership between Oswalt and pitching coach Ally Russell Bowers.
“She’s a different breed – her and Ally Russell are perfectionists, and they are getting better every day, and they work so well together, and when the going gets rough, you roll up your sleeves, and Ella and Ally really do that.”
Brubaker, McMullen, Oswalt, Blumenstock, Cromwell, and Force each recorded a hit for Greenville. Shaffer, McMullen, Brubaker, and Force each drove in a run as the Lady Wave played error-free defense.
The victory improved Greenville’s record to 31-1 and extended its winning streak to 31 consecutive games.
Now the Lady Wave turns its attention to Firestone Stadium in Akron, where it will face three-time state champion Bloom-Carroll in a Division III state semifinal Friday at 12:30 p.m.
When informed that undefeated and top-ranked Dover had been eliminated, Newland’s focus remained unchanged.
“We’ll play the Olympic team if they’re up there to play, I’m so excited to go to Akron – we’ll play the Cincinnati Reds,” Newland said. “We’ll play anybody that’s there. I just can’t wait to go.”
The state semifinal appearance marks Greenville’s fifth trip to the Final Four under Newland. A win would send the Lady Wave to the state championship game Saturday evening as the program seeks its first state title since the memorable 2007 championship season.
Western Brown, which defeated Greenville in last year’s regional final, saw its season end. Both programs return nearly their entire rosters next season, with both teams graduating two seniors.
“There will be a rematch next year, I imagine,” Newland said.
BOX SCORE:
123 456 7 R H E
102 100 0 4 6 0 Greenville
000 000 0 0 9 1 Western Brown
