By Dan Messerschmidt
CCN Sports Director

OLIVESBURG — Bucyrus was knocking on the door but the young Lady Redmen were not able to kick it open.

Crestview senior Kennedy Hickey struck out 12 and limited the Lady Redmen to three hits as the second-seeded Lady Cougars defeated Bucyrus, 4-0, in the Division III sectional softball final Friday afternoon.

The four runs came in one unfortunate inning for the Redmen — the sixth — as all the runs were unearned.

For five innings, the game was the kind of pitchers’ duel that those with knowledge of the teams anticipated.

“I woke up this morning thinking this was going to be a great game,” Bucyrus coach Jerry Hargis said. “You have two pitchers that have done about everything they could do in a year. Our pitcher is young and that was the thing that bothered me.”

Caleigh Rister, a freshman, appeared unfazed for Bucyrus (14-6) and went toe-to-toe with Hickey.

Rister shut out the potent Cougar offense on two hits over the first five, with eight strikeouts. Hickey, as expected, shut out the Redmen through six on one hit.

“I was a little nervous coming in because I knew how good they were,” Crestview coach Aaron Goon said. “They were the fifth seed and the very easily could have been the second seed.”

The game swung in favor of Crestview (18-2) in the fateful sixth. Autumn Bailey led off with a bloop double down the left field line.

Natalie Restille moved her to third with a bunt single. Rister was on the verge of pitching out of trouble without giving up a run when she threw out Bailey at home on Hickey’s squeeze bunt attempt and Restille was forced out at third on a fielder’s choice by Clara Robertson.

The key play came when Kylie Klinger’s bouncer down the first base line was misplayed by the Bucyrus allowing Hickey to score from second. Caitlyn Frontz then blew it open with a two-run single to right-center field and the fourth run scored on an outfield error by the Redmen.

“We knew we’d have to string something together and not make too many mistakes here and there and just keep competing,” Hargis said. “I thought we competed extremely well.”

Even down four, Bucyrus did not go quietly in the seventh. With one out, Jade Torres drilled a double to the gap in right-center field. Ni’Georia Floyd followed with a single up the middle, moving Torres to third.

But Hickey settled down, tagging out Torres trying to score on a comebacker to the mound and struck out the final batter to preserve the shutout.

“We’ve got a heck of a pitcher in Kennedy Hickey,” Goon said. “And we finally got the ball in play a few times and good things happen when you put the ball in play.”

Bailey had a double and single to lead the Cougars’ offense. Restille, Hickey and Frontz singled and Frontz batted in two.

Torres doubled, while Floyd and Alexis Dye singled for the Redmen. Rister finished with nine strikeouts and walked none. The freshman right-hander gave up five hits.

Two of the three Redmen seniors, Izzy Burling and Brooklyn Spears, were the team captains and were the heart of this year’s team and will not get to advance in the tournament in their last season.

“We’re looking at those two seniors as great leaders,” Hargis said. “I love these girls to death. I don’t worry about them when they graduate. They will both be great individuals.”

“They’ve got a chance to win their conference and it’s a loaded conference,” Goon said of Bucyrus. “We knew how good they were. But we’re confident in our girls. When I put Kennedy out there, I’m pretty confident we can beat anybody. It’s nice to have that luxury.”

The Redmen, indeed, can still tie Carey for a share of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference title by winning makeup games with Ridgedale and Wynford.

“Next week, (Burling and Spears) are going to grab this squad like they have all year and we’re going to try to win a couple of ball games. That would make our season.

“The numbers on the (championships) banner (in the gym) and a picture on the wall — they seem to think that’s a pretty big deal,” Hargis continued. “I’m not going to kill that.”

Crestview advances to the district semifinal to play Colonel Crawford on Tuesday at Lexington.

Meanwhile, Bucyrus looks to next year.

“We made a few mistakes in there but I’m happy with the kids and what’s going on,” Hargis said. “We competed. I don’t care where we finish, these kids competed and worked hard. I’ve been the pusher and they have responded extremely well.”

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Bucyrus      000 000 0      0     3     2

Crestview   000 004 X      4     5     2

WP: Kennedy Hickey (12 SO, 2 W)

LP: Caleigh Rister (9 SO, 0 W)

HR: None.

Triples: None.

Doubles: (C) Autumn Bailey; (B) Jade Torres.

Multiple hits: (C) Autumn Bailey.

Records: Crestview 18-2; Bucyrus 14-6.

Next: Bucyrus at Ridgedale, Tuesday; Crestview vs. Colonel Crawford, Division III district semifinal, at Lexington High School, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.