Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — A Gatorade-bath-soaked Andy Messer stood in center field on Friday night … speechless.
After watching his team put the finishing touches on, unarguably, the biggest win in program history, South Webster’s head softball coach needed a minute to think.
“I don’t think there are words for this,” Messer said, smiling. “It’s a place we’ve never been before and it’s a win we’ve never won before. We’ve had great practices all week and we really felt good about this. We knew the battle at hand. The girls knew that they could do this.”
Behind an early start and a masterful performance in the circle from sophomore Jaiden White, the Jeeps (25-3) stunned two-time defending state champion Wheelersburg in a Division III regional championship — stamping the program’s first-ever state tournament trip.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“It’s something we’ve done the past few games and it’s so important,” Messer said. “We get that head start and it sets the tone for the rest of the game. I was excited to bat first today. I knew we were going to cash in on a couple of runs and we did.”
South Webster’s Lauren Kaltenbach started things off with a single before scoring on an RBI double via Skylar Zimmerman.
As Messer alluded to, two batters into the ballgame, the Jeeps had a 1-0 lead.
They added a run in the top of the second after Makayla Raynard doubled with one out. Nine-hole hitter Laiken Lancaster knocked Raynard in with an RBI single, making it 2-0.
That’s where things stood until the fourth. Raynard worked a one-out walk before Lancaster stepped to the dish with two outs and lined a double into left-center field, playing Raynard for the second time in three innings.
“We believe in everybody in this lineup, one through nine,” Messer said. “They can all hit at any given time and they can always provide something for their team. That’s what makes us a good team.”
Wheelersburg (22-3) graced the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth.
After a single from Laken Wright, Rileigh Lang doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. Emma Smith then laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Wright and cut the deficit to 3-1.
Ava Estep then came to the plate and roped an RBI single into right field, inching the Pirates closer at 3-2.
In the sixth, ‘Burg forced a 3-3 tie when Kaylynn Carter logged a seeing-eye single past the left side of South Webster’s infield.
But with momentum shifted to the Pirates’ dugout, the Jeeps never blinked.
Zimmerman reached on error to begin the top of the seventh before Bella Claxon doubled. Addi Claxon then worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases with no outs.
That opened the door for Ashlee Spence to deposit an RBI single into center field, giving South Webster a 4-3 lead. The Pirates worked out of the jam without any further damage but White slammed the door shut in the bottom half.
Fly out, strikeout, fly out. Ballgame. History.
“I’ve been with this senior class since they were nine years old and this is a special, special group of girls,” Messer said. “They know me and I know them very well. Just to see them get something like this is extraordinarily awesome. It’s something. They deserve it.”
White’s tossed all seven innings, surrendering three earned runs on seven hits and striking out a pair of hitters.
Wheelersburg’s offense came into the game outscoring its opponents by a 70-4 margin in tournament play. The Jeeps’ sophomore failed to read that memo.
“Jaiden wasn’t feeling good. She’s been sick for two days,” Messer said. “She didn’t look it. But she grew a little bit tonight and she threw a heck of a game. That’s the best game she’s thrown all year long.”
Offensively, Lancaster led the charge with a 2-for-4 effort alongside a double and two RBIs. Zimmerman was also 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, Raynard finished 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored, and Bella Claxon went 1-for-3 with a walk and a double.
Estep led Wheelersburg with a 2-for-4 showing alongside an RBI while five other hitters finished with a base hit.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
South Webster now advances to a Division III state semifinal at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at Akron’s Firestone Stadium. The Jeeps will face Canfield South Range, who was a 1-0 winner over Warren Champion.
“You know how if you mess up, you have to have a short memory? Well, we have to have a short memory after tonight,” Messer said. “We have to start preparing tomorrow for it. We go back to work tomorrow.”
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