Cool, calm and collected Granville softball finally back in regional
PICKERINGTON ― Granville leaned on its experience Saturday against youthful but talented Licking Valley in a riveting Division II district final, and the Blue Aces needed every ounce of it.
The state's second-ranked − and district's top-seeded − team used three clutch swings of the bat, two of them coming with two out, to finally subdue the fourth-seeded Panthers 4-2 at Pickerington Central for their first district championship since 2018.
"We had the top of the lineup up, and I had full confidence in my team," said senior Ally Ernsberger, whose two-out, two-run homer in the fifth inning capped a three-run rally from a 2-1 deficit for Granville (27-3), which advanced to to Wednesday's 2 p.m. regional semifinal at Wright State against defending Division III state runner-up Indian Lake (24-2). "ET (Emily Travis) ripped one on a 3-2 count, and I had confidence in her."
Addison Justice's two-run homer over the center field fence in the fourth, after freshman Tori Baughman's single, pushed Valley (19-9) up 2-1, its first lead in three meetings with the Blue Aces, and put the pressure on Granville. And when Abbe McNabb got Sophia Patena to bounce out for the second out of the fifth, it grew even more.
But the Panthers had pitched around Granville's leadoff slugger Megan Lodge, whose third-inning tape-measure blast for her 17th homer had put her team up 1-0, and she drew a walk and advanced to second. Travis then lined the tying single to center, and Ernsberger followed with what proved to be the game-winning shot to left.
"I was confident, but a little nervous, I won't lie," Travis said. "She (McNabb) had thrown a lot of outside pitches, and when it became 3-2, she came in with an inside pitch. I think she was supposed to walk me, but just missed her spot. I did not want to walk."
Ernsberger also praised McNabb for keeping the ball on the outer part of the plate most of the game. She allowed only three hits, striking out five and walking five.
"Then, I recognized that they were calling for an inside pitch, I looked for it, it was kind of high, and I was able to hit it hard," she said.
Coach Brooke Warehime agreed that Granville's experience helped, but it was nearly too close for comfort.
"With two outs, it was pretty nerve wracking," he admitted. "But ET doesn't get rattled in those situations, and is cool, calm and collected. And Ally has helped carry us all year, in the circle and getting big hits. We've struggled against this team. We've hit well all year, but it seems our worst swings have come against them."
Buoyed by the sudden lead, Ernsberger struck out the side in the sixth, then allowed only Zoey Shaw's infield single in the seventh. Valley made her work as she threw 114 pitches, but struck out eight, walked only one and hit a batter in a four-hitter.
"We belonged here, that's for sure," coach Chad Dennis said. "We came into this confident. They (the players) believed, and we (the coaches) believed, that we could do it."
McNabb was able to pitch out of trouble. With runners at second and third in the second, she struck out Hanah Rogovin. In the third, after Lodge's homer, the Blue Acres had runners on first and second with one out, but freshman shortstop D'Neya Dennis gloved Taylor Warehime's liner up the middle and stepped on second for a double play.
Travis atoned for a second-inning throwing error with one of the biggest plays of the game. With runners at second and third and one out, Liz Korns put down a squeeze bunt, but third baseman Travis charged and in one motion shoveled to catcher Avary King, who tagged out the runner. Hailey Small then bounced back to Ernsberger.
"We worked on it (the bunt coverage) all week in practice," Travis said. "It was just a normal reaction, to what we had been practicing, over and over."
Said coach Warehime: "They're fast, and they hadn't been using a lot of small ball, but we knew they would at some point. That's why we prepared for it."
Coach Dennis fully expects to be back in this position next year, with different results.
"They're obviously a very good team, and we hope they go on and win it all," he said. "It (the tough loss) is supposed to hurt. We're really, really close and have been building it year by year. It will be hard to replace Abbe, but we have everyone back, and will be adding a couple of more talented players."
Granville got a confidence boost with the comeback win and will need it in a powerful regional that also includes seventh-ranked Greenville playing Kenton Ridge (26-4) in the other semifinal. The final is set for 5 p.m. Friday.
"We still have four games left to win, and we're going to come in ready and try to play like we have all season," coach Warehime said.
Travis expects that to happen.
"We are just clicking right now. Ally's pitching, our hitting, our defense," she said. "We are definitely not done."
740-704-7973
Instagram: @dfweidig
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Cool, calm and collected Granville softball finally back in regional
