ELIDA — Elida’s Katelynn Sumption’s towering three-run home run in the fifth inning helped the Bulldogs power past St. Marys, 7-1, in the opening round of the Division II Region 6 Sectional softball tournament Thursday night at Dorothy Evans Field.
Elida (7-12) advances to the next round against Western Buckeye League foe Wapakoneta at 5 p.m. Friday in Wapakoneta.
Sumption’s shot capped off a successful day at the plate as she went 2-for-3 with one run scored and four RBI.
“Katelynn Sumption can flat out hit the ball,” Bulldog head coach Mike Eilerman said. “When she hits the ball that hard you know it is gone. She was due. She has been our best hitter all year. She has done a nice job.”
St. Marys head coach Sue Grothause said the Roughriders did not get the clutch hits in key situations and made several key miscues in the field that led to the St. Marys loss.
“The wheels kind of fell off in the fifth inning,” Grothause said. “I thought we had a chance coming into the game. We played them tough the first time we played them. We had people in scoring position and we didn’t move them around.”
Holding a 3-1 lead going into the fifth frame, the Roughriders, who had hit a home run in the fourth inning, threatened in the top of the fifth to tack on more runs by getting two runners on base with a couple of base hits. However, the Roughriders bats failed to take advantage and stranded both base runners. For the game, the Roughriders left seven runners on base.
Elida’s offensive explosion in the bottom of the frame would break open the game. Bulldog Lauren Kesler got things going after she reached first with her second infield single with one out. The next batter, Cheyenne Elsea, then reached first on an error and the two advanced on a passed ball. Michaela Black then followed with a bunt single to push Kesler across the plate to notch the first score of the inning. Sumption then cracked her shot to deep centerfield to clear the bases to give Elida the commanding six-run cushion.
Elida’s top four hitters in the batting order combined for six hits, five RBI and all seven runs. Kesler finished the night with two hits and two runs scored and Elsea also scored twice.
Elida hurler Maddie Murphy was effective in her complete-game performance. The right-handed pitcher scattered six hits while striking out one. Murphy relied on her defense to help her out of several jams in the third, fifth and seventh innings.
“Maddie throws strikes and doesn’t walk and tonight we had no errors,” Eilerman said.
St. Marys’ lone run came off the bat of Allison Langsdon who hit a home run in the fourth inning. Kylie Lauth had two hits in the losing effort.
Roughrider pitcher Maddie Howell suffered the loss, going 4 1/3 innings, yielding seven hits and five earned runs while fanning four and walking one.
Eilerman said he is happy to get the win but with powerhouse Wapakoneta looming, he knows his team is going to have to play at its top level if it is going to topple the Redskins.
“We got our hands full with Wapak, Eilerman added. “It’s a matter now of taking the next step. Wapak is undefeated (in the WBL) for a reason so we are going to have to play really well.”
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