By Dan Messerschmidt
CCN Sports Director

BUCYRUS — Softball appeared to be back at Bucyrus, but the acid test came when state-ranked Carey came calling on Monday.

The Lady Blue Devils came in ranked No. 10 in the state coaches’ poll and undefeated in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.

The Lady Redmen aced the test. Izzy Burling lined a single to left with no outs in the bottom of the seventh to snap a 5-5 tie and give Bucyrus a walk-off, come-from-behind 6-5 victory, pulling the Redmen to within a game of Carey in the N10.

“These kids didn’t give up,” Bucyrus coach Pudge Hargis said. “I couldn’t be happier. A team with less spirit might have (given up). Our kids wanted it. They knew what we were playing for.”

Carey (13-3, 10-1 N10) jumped out to the early lead with three runs in the second. Felicite Smith led off with a single, Hannah Lonsway was safe on an error and Emma Wagner reached on an infield single.

Bridget Mullholand drove in two with a single and Caitie Carter plated one with a ground out for a 3-0 Blue Devils’ lead. Two of the three runs off Redmen started Caleigh Rister were unearned but it was a lead for Carey pitcher Blayc Hacker nonetheless.

“(Rister) has good speed and can place the ball well,” Carey coach Teresa Gillig said. “We hit really well off her tonight. Offensively, we were fine. It was the defense we were shaky on tonight.”

Bucyrus (12-3, 10-2) got two runs back in the third. Lauren Kohler singled and moved to second when Rister was safe on a fielder’s choice. The runners advanced on a wild pitch and both scored on a two-out single by Brooklyn Spears.

The Blue Devils added a run in the fourth with the aid of a Bucyrus error and the Redmen answered in kind with an unearned run in the fifth, to make it 4-3, Carey.

“We’ve been behind a number of times and these kids know how to play,” Hargis said. “I’ve got two leaders on this team (Burling and Spears). Nobody dislikes them. These two they all follow.”

Bucyrus grabbed the lead with two in the sixth. Alexis Schifer tripled with one out and Ni’Georia Floyd reached on a fielder’s choice. Schifer scored on an error and Floyd came home on Kohler’s single.

The Blue Devils did not go quietly. Bridget Mullholand led off the seventh with a single, moved around to third on two ground outs and scored the tying run on a double by Hailey Niederkohr.

That set the stage for the dramatic finish. Rister led off the seventh with a single but was able to go all the way to third on an error. Burling then laced a 2-2 pitch to left to bring home Rister with the win.

“We knew going into it that this would be a tough game,” Gillig said. “We just didn’t play our best defense tonight. You can’t have the errors, throwing the ball around, against a god team like that with runners on the bases.”

Hacker went the distance in the circle for the Blue Devils, striking out nine and walking one, while being touched for nine hits. Niederkohr led the offense with a double and triple. Wagner had two singles and Mullholand singled twice, driving in three runs. Smith added a single.

For Bucyrus, Rister fanned eight and walked one, surrendering seven hits. Kohler had three hits and scored twice. Spears singled twice and drove in two, Schifer tripled and Rister, Burling and Floyd singled.

“It was a great high school game,” Hargis said. “And what we did as a small, young softball team is we grew.”

“I told the girls, ‘Put this one past you and move forward,’” Gillig said. “We have a lot of tough league games left to play.

“We just have to put this past us and play Carey defense from here on out,” Gillig added. “If we clean up the little errors in between, we’ll be fine.”

The Blue Devils get a rematch in Carey on Wednesday.

“They are a good ball team,” Hargis said of the Blue Devils. “I don’t know how Wednesday’s going to turn out but we’ll both be better down the tournament trail for this.”

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Carey       030 100 1       5    7     3

Bucyrus   002 012 1       6    9     2

WP: Caleigh Rister (8 SO, 1 W)

LP: Blayc Hacker (9 SO, 1 W)

HR: None.

Triples: (C) Hailey Niederkohr; (B) Alexis Schifer.

Doubles: (C) Hailey Niederkohr.

Multiple hits: (C) Hailey Niederkohr, Emma Wagner, Bridget Mullholand; (B) Lauren Kohler 3, Brooklyn Spears.

Records: Carey 13-3 (10-1 N10); Bucyrus 12-3 (10-2 N10).

Next: Carey at Colonel Crawford, Tuesday; Bucyrus at Carey, Wednesday.