NORTH ROBINSON — One bad call didn’t make the difference in the game. It did, however, turn the momentum in favor of the winning team.
A controversial bunt single in the third inning by Macy Ousley allowed Clear Fork to put 5 runs on the board on its way to a 12-5 win over Colonel Crawford in a Division III sectional softball final Friday night.
Katrina Rogers followed that with a triple to right field that brought in two Lady Colts base runners.
“They can hit the ball and sometimes we just dig a hole for ourselves that we can’t get out of,” Lady Eagles head coach Sarah Fraser said. “Aubrey (Zizzo) pitched well enough to win. All year she has battled for this team.”
Zizzo, a sophomore, struck out 5 and walked 4, but a handful of fielding errors hurt the Lady Eagles.
“We just get too deep, and our mentality is not good when we get behind. We struggle to keep a positive outlook and we struggle to get past a mistake or even a strikeout,” Fraser said.
“It’s tough for us as a team to put a whole game together.”
Colonel Crawford had taken a 2-1 lead after an inning after Allison Weithman and Nettie Gallant singled and Riley Hoepf delivered a run-scoring single.
But the 5-run third inning and a 4-run sixth inning proved the difference.
“I would never blame umpires for losses ever. It’s not their fault we got beat. However, I do think that some calls one way or the other, for either team, do change courses of games.”
The play in question came when Ousley had a 1-1 count and bunted the ball. It appeared to hit her on the foot and then bounced into foul territory. But the umpire ruled it a fair ball.
“And momentum changes and that’s what happened tonight and that’s OK. Umpires make mistakes,” Fraser said. “Umpires are human. We make mistakes coaching and my kids make mistakes. I think a lot of people forget that.”
With the victory, Clear Fork plays at Margaretta next Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the district semifinal game at Shelby. The Lady Bears downed Wynford 10-3 in their sectional title game.
Sophomore Melodie Blubaugh provided plenty of ammunition with four base hits and stellar play in centerfield. Blubaugh had a single, two doubles, a triple, and a walk for two RBI.
“We started the season slow. But we know we need to hit the ball well and make plays defensively,” Lady Colts head coach Chris Clapper said.
Clear Fork finished tied for third in the tough Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.
“All season long she (Blubaugh) has set the tone for us. Her ability at the plate to swing the bat and to bunt and get down the line quick. When she gets on base, that’s a good thing for us.”
Pacey Chrastina scattered 7 hits, fanned 4 and walked 6 Crawford batters in getting the win. She got relief help in the seventh from Rogers.
“Other than I think the two or three bunts that we didn’t cover well, we played good defensively,” Clapper said.
The Lady Eagles failed to string hits together.
“We had runners on base almost every inning. We just couldn’t connect and put it together,” Fraser said. “They connected when they had runners on base and that’s part of the game, among other factors.”
The two big innings hurt.
“That’s a big difference. If we capitalize and make some plays in those two innings, it’s a different ball game. That’s what happened the last time we played them. We out hit them (in a 9-4 loss on April 7) last game but we made errors,” Fraser said.
Trailing 6-2 heading into the sixth, the bottom fell out for the Lady Eagles.
Blubaugh drove in Briana Patterson, who had tripled, with a bunt. A hit batsman, a single by Rogers and a wild pitch put 4 more runs on the board for Clear Fork.
Crawford added a run in the seventh as Madison Cobb singled and then eventually scored on a wild pitch.
“This is part of the big life lesson. You can’t quit when things don’t go your way. You need to be mentally tough enough to get through this.”
Losing two seniors — catcher Nettie Gallant and third baseman Harley Thomas — is significant.
“Those two are special to me,” Fraser said. “I’ve known them since they were really young, so it sucks that we can’t win a championship again together. But these are the life lessons you try to teach these girls.”
The good news is everyone else returns for Colonel Crawford.
“We do have a lot of our kids coming back. Harley and Nettie are huge, huge, shoes to fill … ungodly big shoes to fill,” Fraser said.
“But I have confidence in our team. They’ll come back and figure it out next year, hopefully.”
Zizzo, Hannah Allen, Karley Shull, Madison Cobb, and Thomas knocked out singles for the Lady Eagles.
Box score
Clear Fork 105 004 2 12 11 1
Colonel Crawford 200 002 1 5 7 4
WP: Pacey Chrastina (4 SO, 6 W)
LP: Aubrey Zizzo (5 SO, 4 W)
HR: None.
Triples: (CC) Allison Weithman.
Doubles: (CF) Melodie Blubaugh 2.
Multiple hits: (CF) Melodie Blubaugh 4, Katrina Rogers 3, Briana Patterson; (CC) Harley Thomas.
Records: Clear Fork 16-8; Colonel Crawford 14-10.
Next: Clear Fork vs. Margaretta at Shelby district, Wednesday; Upper Sandusky at Colonel Crawford, Monday.