Homers, strikeouts and celebrations — Cora Hall did it all for Sheridan vs. Tri-Valley.

THORNVILLE — Cora Hall couldn't wait to find her right fielder.

Sheridan's ace pitcher, the unquestioned star of Monday's 5-2 win against visiting Tri-Valley, hugged Hayley Clifton like she had been missing for days. Just seconds earlier, Clifton made a game-ending snag of a line drive that looked all but certain to fly over her head.

On a day when Hall blasted two homers and struck out nine in a complete game, it was the play Hall first mentioned when discussing the Generals' most recent big victory.

"It feels good, but I wouldn't be able to do it without my team," Hall said. "We got a great catch in right field and just a bunch of young kids stepping up, too. A freshman, Mauri O'Brien, laying down bunts when we need it. Avery Davis, a senior in her first year, laying down bunts. It lets me do my thing, and I let them do their thing."

Her "thing" on this occasion was carry the team with her right arm and big bat. The win was the team's eighth straight.

Hall's two-run homer in the third off Scottie ace Paiton Murphy broke a 1-all tie. Her second two-run shot — a mammoth blast to left that landed some 20 feet behind the fence — pushed the margin to 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth. Avery Mueller reached on hits before both homers, including a lead-off double in the fifth.

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Both homers came with first base open.

"I thought for sure they were going to walk me," Hall said.

They didn't, and those final runs proved crucial. The Scotties scored a run in the seventh on Caity Journey's two-out, RBI double, and Murphy's liner to Clifton would have sent Journey home and brought Ally Peterson to the plate representing the tying run.

'The right concoction'

Sheridan coach Mark Paxton has long been known for his propensity for bunting, stealing bases and moving runners, but he was as happy as anyone when Hall cleared the fences.

Her second homer came after Murphy made two fine plays coming out of the circle on a squeeze bunt from Davis and a flare from Addison Grosse with runners on third. The latter also saved a run.

It was an occasion where the bunting approach failed. The tactic overall was far from ineffective, however — Brooke Cadigan's sacrifice moved up Mueller to set up Hall's first homer.

"I tell them that there is nothing wrong with the long ball with a little small ball mixed in, or a lot of small ball with the big ball mixed in," Paxton said. "If you find the right concoction for that game, the right ingredients, you can be successful."

Building steam

The Generals' win (12-3) pulled them into a tie with Tri-Valley (14-3) in the Muskingum Valley League-Big School Division standings at 6-2. Both are two games back of John Glenn, which swept Sheridan in a pair of one-run games earlier this season.

The teams were due to play again on Tuesday in Dresden, continuing a stretch of difficult games for both teams. Tri-Valley, fresh off wins against Division I teams Columbus DeSales and Grove City Central Crossing, needs a win to avoid likely falling two games back in the division. It still has two games against John Glenn still remaining.

Meanwhile, Sheridan has three losses by a combined three runs, with two coming to John Glenn and Bowling Green-bound pitcher Sydney Marshall. The other came in a 3-2 road loss to perennial power Springfield Kenton Ridge.

"We've been playing well lately, and I think the kids are getting some confidence and kind of figuring out their roles a little bit," Paxton said. "They're buying in, and we're hitting the ball pretty well."

Last Friday's win at Wheelersburg, the two-time defending Division III state champions, has been the highlight so far as Paxton continues to challenge his team with a demanding schedule. He feels they are jelling, "and it's starting to show on the field."

Hall felt the win against Burg was "a great milestone for the team," but noted that it's important that carry sort of play in the postseason when the games matter most.

"We've got to play big," Hall said. "It's a confidence booster, but we can't get too high or on our high horse here."

Hall has allowed only three earned runs in 59 innings, including none in the losses to John Glenn. No. 2 hurler Megan Ranck has been effective when called upon, something Paxton said has been important.

"(Hall) has 59 innings and a lot of the kids around the state are in the 80s and 90s," Paxton said. "We have been able to keep her fresh."

Stats that mattered

Hall held the Scotties without a run for four straight innings after yielding a lead-off homer to Ally Peterson in the second that tied the game at 1. She finished with nine strikeouts and stranded two runners in the fifth and sixth.

Murphy was steady outside of the two homers — only four Generals had hits. She struck out six and didn't walk anyone, while her aforementioned defensive exploits played key roles.

Kylan Brock had a double and single, and Journey had a seventh inning double to account for half of the Scotties' hits. Peterson also drew a walk.

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Cora Hall does it all for Sheridan softball in win vs. Tri-Valley