AKRON – The Tri-Village Girls softball team scored one run in the first inning and made it hold up for the next seven innings to defeat Dalton in their OHSAA DVI State Semi Final game at Firestone Stadium.
The 29-0 Patriots advance to the championship game to be played on Sunday at 11am again in Akron at Firestone Stadium. They will take on Sugarcreek Garaway (20-10) a 10-4 winner over Gibsonburg in the other semi-final game.
Tri-Village, after only getting three hits in the regional final, again collected just three hits as Dalton pitcher Mei Simmons struck out nine Patriot hitters. Simmons came into the game with 220 strikeouts on the year. But she walked four Patriot hitters with two big ones back-to-back to Emma Cantrell and Hailey Burk that would be the difference in the game.
After Cantrell drew the first walk, she would steal second base, then third. Hailey Burk followed up Cantrell at the plate, drawing a walk, and while running to first base, Cantrell, with a big lead off third base, enticed Dalton into a pickle.
In the back and forth of the Burk continued on to second base, and they took their eye off Cantrell for just a moment, but enough to allow her to escape the pickle as she slid into home to manufacture what would be the only run of the game.
Tri-Village coach Emily Osborne talked about being aggressive when Cantrell gets on base.
“You know, I’m proud of my senior leader, she made it happen again. We knew if she was in scoring position, we’d really push hard to get her across the plate,” Osborne explained.
Emma Cantrell talked about scoring the game winning run and how it happened.
“So, I drew the walk and while on first base Coach Mead gave me the steal sign, I love when he gives me the steel sign, because that means, if I get out, obviously it’s his fault, but I don’t get out,” said a confident Cantrell.
So, I stole second, and then I’m just thinking about getting a big jump and the catcher just throws the ball right back, so I just go and take third base” Cantrell added.
“Ray was up the bat, and the catcher kept throwing the ball back quick, At the time, if she wasn’t going to look at me, I was going to delay but she looked at me and then tried to chase me down and I got into a pickle, but I got out of it, and that was huge,” Cantrell beamed.
At the time no one knew that run would be the game winner and Coach Osborne was thankful for the run.
“It only takes one to win, right? We would have like to have seen more hits and run production. That’s not how we wanted to see it go down. I really looked forward to a fourth inning or fifth inning, the type where you break it open kind of thing,” Osborne stated.
But by then to have that little reassurance of getting a run on the board and having solid defense and good work between our pitcher Liz Poling and catcher Hailey Burk steadied us through out. I’m proud of my girls for just sticking with it and playing the game one play, one out, at time and doing whatever it takes to get through the innings to get the win, Osborne expounded.
Elizabeth Poling pitched the full seven innings giving up just three hits, had two strikeouts and one walk to pick up the win.
Poling had a scare in the bottom of the sixth inning after giving up a HBP to Simmons, she registered a strikeout to the next batter. The next hitter then hit a smoking hot line drive right back at Poling who thankfully was able to get her glove up and almost made a great catch, but it hit her in a bad spot and there were a few tense moments on whether she would be able to continue.
“You know that it’s scary, Osborne said on the ball hit to Poling. I’ve been a pitcher before. It’s scary to have that ball come at you so hard that it hurts your hand and to be able to go ahead and stay in the game,” Osborne said.
With runners now on first and second and just one out it was tough decision on what to do next.
“There was doubt between the coaches here on what’s the right move because we didn’t have insurance runs and need to keep them from scoring, so we kept her it and she worked out of it and I’m proud of her,” Osborne exclaimed.
Poling who had a hand injury earlier in the season talked about the hit back to her.
“It flared up at the time and real stinger but it’s fine now. But I was prepared to finish and confident that between my catcher (Hailey Burk) and me that we could get through it,” Poling commented.
“My catcher and I, we’ve been pitching and catching forever, and we always have this sign me and you. And so, I do my best, and she does her best, and that’s what we did,” Poling added.
The Patriots have shown resolve in the face of big pressure in the last two games and coach Osborne credits their schedule and close games against good competition throughout the course of the year.
Coming into the playoffs, I talked to the team about a few key games we’ve played this year. We played Greenville, who is in a higher division than us, a strong team, and they started rallying back late in the game, and we had to hold on for the win. Against Indian Lake, we had a walk-off, came back, won again, another higher division than us. And of course, Minster that was scoreless going into the seventh, and then we put the run on the board at the end. Those three games are key for us. They build momentum knowing we’re facing the best of the best, and then here at State, we persevered, and we will continue to keep that in mind as we go for a State Championship,” Osborne concluded.
The 2025 Patriots join the 1981 team as the second team to play for a state softball championship, and they are looking to be the first to win it.
On being just, the second team to go to the state championship, Hailey Burk said,
“It feels really great. Falling short of state last year was really frustrating, knowing we could have been here last year … but we’re here now and it feels really good, we just have one more to go,” Burk said.
