Caldwell Breaks It Open in 4th, Defeats Martins Ferry for OVAC Class 3A Softball Championship
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WHEELING -- Martins Ferry entered Saturday as a two-time defending OVAC champion. So did Caldwell.
So, when the Redskins made the jump to class 3A from 2A in the OVAC, it set up a potential battle of the champions come tourney weekend.
That's just what fans were treated to Saturday afternoon at Wheeling Park High School's all-turf Patriot Field. The team's battled to a 3-3 deadlock before Caldwell ripped it wide open with a 4-run fourth inning.
The result? A 14-3 victory in five innings for head coach Doug Pfeffer's Redskins and a bit of revenge in the process.
Back in March, Martins Ferry took down Caldwell 10-0 in five innings on the Purple Riders home diamond. But there was one slight difference between that game and Saturday's. This time, the Redskins had the services of reigning OVAC Class 2A Player of the Year in Madi Mumaw.
Mumaw struck out five batters and limited Ferry to three runs on eight hits, with every run coming in a five-hit third inning. But those other four innings? Goose eggs across.
Caldwell managed to plate 14 runs on 15 hits, including four in that fateful fourth inning that featured a leadoff solo blast from Sydney Sailing to center.
Six more runs on five more hits followed and by the time Kelsi Gillespie struck out the number nine hitter for the third out, Caldwell retook the lead in commanding fashion at 10-3.
CLASS 4A
Oak Glen 5, Edison 2
WHEELING -- Coming into this season, a lot of people focused on who Golden Bears didn't have back, not who they did have returning.
While it is true some key pieces from the back-to-back state tournament teams had graduated, perhaps flying under the radar a bit was just how talented this version was.
Under the radar no more.
Saturday coach Sherrie Garner's club finished another impressive 20-win regular season by capturing its third straight OVAC Class 4A championship with a win over the Wildcats at Wheeling Park High School's all-turf Patriot Field.
The victory not only gave the Golden Bears, who are ranked in the top-10 in W.Va. Class AA, the conference trophy, but was their 14th consecutive win and 17th in the last 18 games.
The Golden Bears were able to score a run in each of the first two innings, but had several opportunities to break things open, slip away and saw Edison battle back to tie the game in the sixth.
The Wildcats, who also came in red-hot having won seven of their last nine, surging into the tourney field on the cutoff day and upsetting top-seed Indian Creek in the semifinals, made a few too many mistakes in the end, though, as the Golden Bears took advantage and plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull ahead for good.
Lizzie Kell fanned 11 without issuing a walk for the win.