Season ends at regionals for Lady Lions
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
PICKERINGTON — Fairfield's season came to an end on a day where nothing went their way.
If the old saying "when it rains, it pours" could ever ring true in a sporting event, it was Wednesday at Pickerington Central High School, in the Division IV Regional semifinals for the Fairfield Lady Lions. Defensive miscues and the inability to string together a number of hits caught up with the Lady Lions in their 13-1 loss to Newark Catholic (16-14), who are ranked No. 8 in the state.
"This was not the way we wanted to end the season," Fairfield head coach Matthew Zimmerman said. "When things go bad, we lose our confidence, and this is what happens."
[[In-content Ad]]Zimmerman then became a little emotional, as this was his final game as the Lady Lions' softball coach, stepping down after five seasons at the helm. During Zimmerman's time as head coach of the Lady Lions, they've made two trips to regionals, finishing regional runners-up in '11.
"I'm extremely proud of this team," Zimmerman said, pausing for a moment to embrace his family. "We didn't expect this type of season at the beginning, but the kids stepped up and played well.
"We hit a wall today against Newark Catholic, but only one team will win their last game of the season. We held our head high, and these girls will be back."
The Lady Lions' lone run came in the bottom of the first inning when they took a 1-0 lead when Heather Sanderson batted in Shelby Smithson with a two-out double hit to the outfield.
FHS finished with three hits in the game, with Grace Larrick, Smithson and Sanderson gaining the hits. FHS also forced four walks with Smithson, Sanderson, Courtney Huff and Sirenity Smith all gaining a free pass.
From there, the Lady Lions (15-11) allowed 13 consecutive runs, with NCHS tying the score after their half of the second with one run. For the game, NCHS had 13 hits and forced nine walks as FHS used two pitchers.
FHS ended the game with five errors, while NCHS had none.
The pitching loss went to Arica Melson, entering the game twice, as she pitched 4.2 total innings. Mikayla Coleman pitched 2.1 innings in relief. The two pitchers combined for three strikeouts.
NCHS took a 2-1 lead after three innings, then added three runs in the top of the fourth for a 5-1 advantage.
In the fifth, the Lady Green Wave added one run for a five-run advantage. The game was all but over after the top half of the seventh where NCHS added seven more runs to their side of the scoreboard, taking advantage of pitching changes, errors and hard hits to the outfield fence.
Leading NCHS at the plate was Maggie Yocum, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Yocum was also the winning pitcher, allowing one earned run on three hits and four walks. Yocum totaled 10 strikeouts.
Halie Parker and Ellen Piper each had two hits for NCHS, with Parker collecting one RBI and Piper batting in two runners.
Zimmerman spoke about the future of the Lady Lion softball program.
"These girls will continue to improve," he said. "They have good things ahead of them in the future. Coach (Shannon) Abbott and Coach Tom (Purtell) will do a fantastic job."
Abbott was recently named the new head coach of the Lady Lions, as she was the hitting coach this season.
Three players wore the FHS colors on the field for the final time as Courtney Huff, Sirenity Smith and Amanda Sanderson were the three Lady Lion seniors.
"They were a great group of ladies to be around, and I'm going to miss them," Zimmerman said.
If the old saying "when it rains, it pours" could ever ring true in a sporting event, it was Wednesday at Pickerington Central High School, in the Division IV Regional semifinals for the Fairfield Lady Lions. Defensive miscues and the inability to string together a number of hits caught up with the Lady Lions in their 13-1 loss to Newark Catholic (16-14), who are ranked No. 8 in the state.
"This was not the way we wanted to end the season," Fairfield head coach Matthew Zimmerman said. "When things go bad, we lose our confidence, and this is what happens."
[[In-content Ad]]Zimmerman then became a little emotional, as this was his final game as the Lady Lions' softball coach, stepping down after five seasons at the helm. During Zimmerman's time as head coach of the Lady Lions, they've made two trips to regionals, finishing regional runners-up in '11.
"I'm extremely proud of this team," Zimmerman said, pausing for a moment to embrace his family. "We didn't expect this type of season at the beginning, but the kids stepped up and played well.
"We hit a wall today against Newark Catholic, but only one team will win their last game of the season. We held our head high, and these girls will be back."
The Lady Lions' lone run came in the bottom of the first inning when they took a 1-0 lead when Heather Sanderson batted in Shelby Smithson with a two-out double hit to the outfield.
FHS finished with three hits in the game, with Grace Larrick, Smithson and Sanderson gaining the hits. FHS also forced four walks with Smithson, Sanderson, Courtney Huff and Sirenity Smith all gaining a free pass.
From there, the Lady Lions (15-11) allowed 13 consecutive runs, with NCHS tying the score after their half of the second with one run. For the game, NCHS had 13 hits and forced nine walks as FHS used two pitchers.
FHS ended the game with five errors, while NCHS had none.
The pitching loss went to Arica Melson, entering the game twice, as she pitched 4.2 total innings. Mikayla Coleman pitched 2.1 innings in relief. The two pitchers combined for three strikeouts.
NCHS took a 2-1 lead after three innings, then added three runs in the top of the fourth for a 5-1 advantage.
In the fifth, the Lady Green Wave added one run for a five-run advantage. The game was all but over after the top half of the seventh where NCHS added seven more runs to their side of the scoreboard, taking advantage of pitching changes, errors and hard hits to the outfield fence.
Leading NCHS at the plate was Maggie Yocum, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Yocum was also the winning pitcher, allowing one earned run on three hits and four walks. Yocum totaled 10 strikeouts.
Halie Parker and Ellen Piper each had two hits for NCHS, with Parker collecting one RBI and Piper batting in two runners.
Zimmerman spoke about the future of the Lady Lion softball program.
"These girls will continue to improve," he said. "They have good things ahead of them in the future. Coach (Shannon) Abbott and Coach Tom (Purtell) will do a fantastic job."
Abbott was recently named the new head coach of the Lady Lions, as she was the hitting coach this season.
Three players wore the FHS colors on the field for the final time as Courtney Huff, Sirenity Smith and Amanda Sanderson were the three Lady Lion seniors.
"They were a great group of ladies to be around, and I'm going to miss them," Zimmerman said.