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CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Before Westfall took its second at-bat on Thursday, West had already put a six-spot on the scoreboard … which is double — and sometimes triple — the run support that McDermott needs to nail down a victory.
The result was a 7-1 win over the Mustangs in a Division III district semifinal at Unioto High School.
Six runs in the first inning and McDermott in cruise control. That’s a lethal recipe for the Senators (25-3).
“With Sydney, she’s going on to the next level,” West coach Dani Coleman said. “We’ve really worked with her pitching out of tough situations and mixing up her pitches. We wanted to make sure she brought something different. She doesn’t worry about the shutouts and the perfect games. She just has a narrow focus on one pitch at a time.”
While McDermott mowed down the Mustangs, leadoff hitter Emma Sayre set the tone for the Senators’ offense.
The junior finished 3-for-3 with a walk and a run while she was constantly either starting a rally or keeping one alive, which is nothing new.
“Emma is just one of many of the driving forces on this team and she’s a true leader,” Coleman said. “She’s just a kid with super grit and she has a stellar mindset. She doesn’t let anything phase her. She’s the type of kid that’s very smart and she’s just a stellar player.”
West couldn’t have dreamed of a better start as its first six hitters scored in the bottom of the first inning.
Sayre started the bottom of the first inning with a single before Myla Mead doubled to knock her in. Emily Moore then singled to score Mead, making it 2-0.
Next, Kaylor Pickleseimer reached on error before Macie Bradford singled to load the bases. The next batter, McDermott, then unloaded on a 2-0 offering for a no-doubt grand slam, pushing PW’s lead to 6-0 before the Mustangs could blink.
“We’ve been working really hard on keeping the game we’re playing at that moment as the big one,” Coleman said. “We try not to look forward to the next one. So, when we started hitting [Westfall pitcher Olivia Dumm], I knew our momentum was moving forward.”
The Senators added another in the second when McDermott knocked in her fifth run — using a single to plate Moore, who had reached on error.
Westfall (15-11) scored its first, and lone, run came in the top of the seventh inning when Delana Landefeld knocked in Madison Kearney with an RBI single. But that last ditch effort was far from enough to get to McDermott and the Senators.
Statistically, McDermott was 2-for-3 at the dish with five RBIs while she went the distance in the circle, allowing an unearned run on five hits while striking out 15 hitters — putting her career total at 967.
Mead helped out, going 1-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI, Moore was 1-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and Bardford went 2-for-4 with a run.
Westfall was led by Landefeld, who finished the night 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI while Dumm helped out by going 1-for-4 with a double.
The Mustangs see their season end but the Senator advance to square off with Ironton, an 8-5 winner over Northwest, in a Division III district final at 3 p.m., Sunday at Unioto.
“Yes, we’re expected to be here but you have to work to get to this point,” Coleman said. “So we’re just trying to keep the girls in that mindset that no team that we play is too small. We have to prove ourselves and keep winning the battle. Every team is good until you prove they’re not. We’re excited to be here and we’re focusing on just not letting the moment get too big.”
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