COLUMBUS GROVE – Sometimes it only takes a break or two for a team to get jump-started.
Columbus Grove took full advantage of some miscues from Ada, en route to an 11-1 run-rule shortened Northwest Conference softball game Monday.
Five Ada errors, mixed in with a few miss-judged flyballs in the outfield, helped pave the way for Columbus Grove.
Columbus Grove also hit the ball well, smacking 11 base hits on the day. Ada struggled, managing just four hits.
Teyah Sautter pitched all five innings for Columbus Grove (11-2, 5-1 NWC) to notch the victory.
Sautter, who previously pitched at Ada before moving to Columbus Grove this school year, struck out four and walked one batter Monday night. In her five innings of work, Sautter threw 73 pitches.
Sautter also got it done at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, including a sacrifice fly RBI in the fifth, to win the game.
Also, having multiple-hit performances Monday for Columbus Grove were Danielle Bame (3-for-4) and Madison Nusbaum (2-for-3).
“She (Sautter) had a lot of pressure on her, coming into this game,” Columbus Grove coach Travis Gallmeier said in reference to Sautter facing her former teammates. “She had a lot on her mind before the game started, but she was able to go out and do what she needed to do. She also had a great night at the plate.”
Ada got on the scoreboard first, scoring a run in the top half of the first inning. A double to center by Maddie Gossard (1-for-3), drove in Alexis Ennis, who got on base on a throwing error.
Grove went on to score two runs in the home half of the second to take a 2-1 lead. A triple by Nusbaum drove in Jenny Ellerbrock, who got on with a fielder’s choice. Nusbaum later came in to score on an errant pick-off attempt.
Columbus Grove put three more runs across in the third on four hits to pull out to a 5-1 lead. Ellerbrock and Bame each had a triple for Grove.
Then in the fourth, Columbus Grove pulled away, scoring five runs on four hits. Sautter had a single that drove in two of those runs. In the bottom of the fifth, Sautter had a sacrifice fly that drove in Emily Watt from third base for the winning run.
“We did pretty well on the bases,” Gallmeier said. “I think there was one time there we got a little too aggressive, but I felt like we were aggressive when we needed to be. They have a fantastic catcher (Sydney Newland). She has a heck of an arm. So, we weren’t able to steal a lot, just because of her.”
Kaiti Newland worked all five innings in the circle for Ada (10-6, 1-3 NWC). The left-handed Newland struck out two, walked three and hit a batter. She threw 84 pitches.
“The five previous losses we had this year were pretty much the same thing,” Ada coach Troy Erickson said. “The miscues we’ve had on defense has really cost us. Unfortunately, when our defense struggles, our offense tends to follow. We just can’t separate that or stop the bleeding. We talk about it, and that’s what we focus on all the time – making the routine plays. When we made mistakes, they (Columbus Grove) were hitting the ball. They were seeing Kaiti well. So, it was one of those days.”
Added Gallmeier, “It was good to see the girls battling at the plate. They hit the ball and put it in play; that was the biggest thing. When you do that, you can score runs and win games.”
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