FINDLAY – The way Crestview won the Findlay Division IV softball regional and a trip to the state tournament was a nearly perfect convergence of talent and timing.
The numbers from its 10-0 win over Carey on Saturday in the regional championship game and in an 11-0 semifinal win over Sherwood Fairview were a portrait of diamond dominance.
In the two regional games, Crestview scored 21 runs on 20 hits. Pitcher Jada Preston allowed no runs and four hits and the defense committed only two errors.
“If you’d ever said we would outscore our opponents 21-0 in the regional, I would have said, ‘No way.’ But we hit the ball very well all the way through today and Jada just stayed on rhythm,” Crestview coach Carl Etzler said. “She was Jada again today.”
Crestview (24-4) will play either Houston or Williamsburg at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in a Division IV state semifinal at Firestone Stadium in Akron. The Houston-Williamsburg regional championship game on Saturday at Clayton was postponed until today because of rain.
After having to go 11 innings to win its sectional opener, Crestview has run-ruled its last three postseason opponents.
“I think it gives all of us a lot of confidence. Everyone, up and down the lineup, we hit the ball hard. We got the runs when we needed them,” senior third baseman Brady Guest said. “This is just the perfect time for us to peak.”
Sydney Bowen went 3 for 3, including two doubles, and Cora Millay was 3 for 4 to lead Crestview’s 12-hit offense on Saturday. Preston was 2 for 4. She also struck out four, walked one and allowed only two hits.
Crestview jumped out a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a single by Tianna Rager and a double by Preston.
It added five runs in the third inning and four more in the fourth inning. A two-run single by Codi Miller was the big hit in the third inning. In the fourth inning, Bowen doubled in a run, Kristen Etzler drove in another with a single and the final two runs came home on a throwing error.
This is the eleventh time since 2000 Crestview has reached the state softball tournament, including winning it all in 2012 and 2005 and finishing runner-up three times.
So, it was not uncommon to hear players talking about following in the footsteps of an older relative after Saturday’s win.
“I’ve always dreamed of getting to where we are as a little kid, watching my sister (Madison) go,” Preston said.
Guest said, “It’s an awesome feeling. I’ve watched almost every one of my cousins get to state.”
At the beginning of the season some people thought this year’s team did not have as good a chance to get to state as last year’s team, which lost a one-run decision in a regional semifinal.
“There were a lot of people last year saying, ‘If you’re ever going to make it back, it is going to have to be this year,’ ” Etzler said.
Guest said, “We always heard that. Honestly, I feel like this team has something special going.
“I feel like the pressure (from outside) is kind of off now. We put the pressure on now because there’s no point in going if you’re not going to try to win it all. If we keep trying and hitting like we’ve been hitting, we’ll be right there with them,” she said.
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