photo by: Kim North

Photo by Kim North Martins Ferry’s Giana Chirpas reached the dugout after hitting her 31st career home run and 13th this season in the third inning of Monday’s Ohio Division V, East 2 District softball tournament semifinal against West Muskingum. She finished with four RBI.

MARTINS FERRY – After being upset in the Ohio Division V, Eastern District softball tournament by West Muskingum in 2021 and 2025, Martins Ferry wasn’t about to let that happen again this season.

The No. 2 Purple Riders (25-3) avenged both of those tough-to-swallow setbacks with a nail-biting, 7-6, walk-off victory Monday night over the visiting Tornadoes (16-10) high atop the Purple City.

“We knew that our slapping had to work today, and it did,” Martins Ferry head coach Jerry Magistro said. “Our two seniors did a great job today.”

With the win, Martins Ferry advances to the East 2 District championship game on Wednesday against No. 7 Claymont, a 4-1 victor over third-seeded Ridgewood, also on Monday, at a site to be determined by Eastern District officials. The first-pitch is set for 5 p.m.

Senior Makayla Cole’s run-scoring single drove in pinch-runner McKenzie Saxton from second base with the game-winner. The left-handed slap to left-center came with two outs.

“I’ve had a hit or two to win games before but nothing like that,” Cole said of her game-winner. “I looked at how they were playing me, so I tried to hit that gap. I knew it was down when it left my bat.

“Our team was up the entire game. We weren’t up-and-down. It was non-stop,” she explained. “If it wasn’t, then we probably wouldn’t have won.”

Martins Ferry trailed 6-3 entering the bottom of the sixth but pulled to 6-4 on an intentional walk to Ohio University recruit Giana Chirpas with two outs. The free pass came on an 0-2 pitch, with strike two landing well beyond the fence but just foul.

“That’s what teams have been doing all year to her,” Magistro said.

Keigan Brandon led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single and went to second on a ground out. Kendyl Brandon, the only other senior on the underclass-laden Purple Riders roster, legged out her fourth infield single of the game. Ella Mamone, the No. 8 batter in the order, delivered a run-producing single to make it 6-5. Ava Rose dropped a single into left to load the bases before Maddie Clark’s sacrifice fly to deep center knotted the game, setting the stage for Cole’s dramatics.

The Tornadoes scored twice in the first, third and sixth innings off freshman Monica Tedeschi, but half of the runs came on wild pitches. Tedeschi did work out of trouble in the fifth and seventh innings when she yielded leadoff singles. She finished with 109 pitches – 70 strikes. She struck out half-a-dozen, walked just one and gave up eight hits.

“I’m going to say that West Muskingum is the best hitting team we’ve played all season. I don’t care who you name,” Magistro stressed. “For that freshman to pitch like she did against them, I’m very proud of her.”

Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the third, Chirpas followed a single by Cole with a towering home run to deep left. It was her 13th of the season and 31 of her career.

Kendyl Brandon (4 singles) was proud of how the team stuck together despite trailing the entire game.

“I’m glad we all played as a team. We all helped out. Nobody got mad at anyone. We all stayed up and we played an all-around super game. I’m very happy.”

Chirpas drove in four runs for the Purple Riders with a groundout, two-run homer and the aforementioned bases-loaded intentional walk. Mamone and Rose each singled twice at the bottom of the order.