Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
DUNCAN FALLS — Unioto put together its best season in 28 years. There’s no doubt about that.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
But all good things must come to an end and the Shermans met the end of the road on Saturday.
Staying true to what its M.O. has been all year long, Unioto (24-4) fought hard. However, Steubenville had a little more in the gas tank down the stretch, handing the Shermans a 6-4 loss in a Division II regional final.
“These girls fought so hard. They deserved to be here and I’m so proud of them,” Unioto coach Rob Hull said. “I truly believe that we were the better team. But we had a couple miscues after taking the lead and couldn’t recover. It’s a tough way to end knowing how much time they put into the season.”
After getting Unioto to go in order, Steubenville (23-5) wasted no time to take early momentum. With two runners on, Sena Smith ripped a two-run single to center field, putting the Big Red ahead 2-0.
Unioto answered in the top of the third and got on the board when Alexis Book smoked an RBI double into left-center, scoring Amaris Betts and cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Then came the top of the fifth, and that was the turning point.
Steubenville intentionally walked Book with two outs and Emma Specht standing on second base. Morgan Daniels made them regret that decision.
On an 0-2 pitch, she smacked a two-run triple into right field to put the Shermans ahead 3-2. Abbie Marshall added to the lead in the next at-bat, hitting an RBI double for a 4-2 advantage.
“(Jules) King is a really good pitcher and she brought it,” Hull said. “We were able to make the adjustments have the first time through the lineup and they knew what to expect. That’s what these girls do best, adjust at the plate and stay composed. I believe we have one of the best hitting groups around and it showed today as well as throughout the tournament.”
However, Steubenville countered in the bottom half. With the bases loaded, Unioto committed a fielding error, bringing the Big Red to within a run at 4-3.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Paige Matteson followed with a bloop RBI single into shallow right field to tie the game. She then took home when Unioto tried to pick off a runner at first base to give Steubenville a 5-4 lead.
The Big Red added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Sophia Zorne notched an RBI groundout, pushing the lead to 6-4.
Unioto, attempting to piece together a final rally in the seventh, went in order to end the game and its season.
“It definitely hurts knowing we just had one bad inning and that’s what it all comes down to,” Hull said. “One game away. We had our chances to score, but we came up short. We had such a great season, and we proved to anyone who doubted us thinking we couldn’t make it to this point that we belong. We’ll put in a lot of work to get stronger, physically and mentally, and our goal is to be back here and go further.”
Hannah Hull suffered the loss in a complete game effort, allowing five earned runs while striking out three batters.
Marshall finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Daniels was 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs, and Book went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
While the loss stings, one bright spot is that all nine starters are back next season as the Shermans say goodbye to just one senior in Macy Renault.
“Everyone loves Macy, and she’s one of those types of people who you never see upset or angry. She’s always in a great mood and supports everyone,” Marshall said. “If I’m having a bad day or moment, she easily the person that I want to talk to and she always makes me feel better.
“We were really good all season long and we never got down on ourselves,” Marshall added. “Next year we’re going to go in preparing for a longer tournament run since we haven’t had one in quite a while. We’ve set higher standards for ourselves, so we have to put in the work.”
SPONSORED BY SHANE MAIER — STATE FARM INSURANCE
