Truckers snap Lady Red league winning streak

PERKINS TWP. — Haley Gockstetter and her Norwalk teammates visited an escape room on Wednesday night. Gockstetter's group was the last to make it out of their scenario, with just one second on the clock. And 24 hours later, Gockstetter needed another last-ditch escape. Two on, two out, the SBC Lake's best hitter at the plate in the form of Bellevue's Kyra Henney representing the go-ahead run. Gockstetter got it done again, inducing a fly ball that Mya Prochnow settled underneath in centerfield to make Norwalk the first Lake team since 2019 to defeat the Lady Red. "We came ready for this," Gockstetter said. "We wanted this for a very long time, since freshman year. I could cry. I'm so happy." The final score, 5-3 in favor of the Truckers, was the score after two and a half innings. Gockstetter and Norwalk's defense behind her settled in and made it stand up. Norwalk (1-3, 1-0) entered the night looking for its first win of the season and left Sports Force Parks with the biggest win in this senior group's time in navy and yellow. "Coming into league play with a win is exactly what we needed for our team chemistry, our energy and for them to really click into what they can be," Norwalk coach Julie Schmidt said. "It's really exciting for us." Bellevue (2-3, 0-1) was coming off a 19-run performance in its last game, a win over Old Fort, and has relied on its bats to help overcome the graduation of All-Ohio pitcher Maci Smythe. The Lady Red scored right out of the chute, getting a walk and steal from Gwen Strause before she advanced on a groundout and a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Norwalk knotted it up in the bottom half. Gockstetter drilled a two-out triple to right-center, and McKenna Ames pulled a two-strike single through the left side to get the run in. "We knew we had to stay within ourselves and get baserunners on," Ames said. "We knew that's how we were gonna win." Gockstetter struck out the side in the second around a hit batter, then the Truckers blew it open. Tyra Corbin led off bottom two with a triple and scored on a CJ Bennett infield hit. Bennett came home on a Hailee Smith groundout. Emma Gebhardt, who reached on a fielder's choice, scored on a wild pitch. The fourth and final run of the inning was scored by Prochnow, who reached on an error, stole second and came home on a liner up the middle by Gockstetter. "They were aggressive," Schmidt said. "They weren't taking that first-pitch strike. They were ready to put it on and ready to run. When we're aggressive and our bats are alive, we have a lot of potential." Bellevue answered with two, on a Ryleigh Knutti RBI single and a Melody Sommers run-scoring groundout. Gockstetter escaped further damage with back-to-back strikeouts, and that was it for the scoring. The senior bound for Heidelberg struck out 12 batters total while allowing six hits. "She was loose," Schmidt said. "Playing with a lead is helpful for her, because she can just loosen up and throw her game. When she's playing tight, it's hard. A lot of credit to our offense for the early runs to allow her to play with her best hat on today." Bellevue's senior centerfielder, Strause, prevented a run or two with multiple great running catches. "We were still hitting the ball well," Schmidt said. "They just made some great plays." Norwalk's defense held firm, as well. The Truckers didn't make an error. Ames led the way with three assists from her third base spot, and Prochnow had three putouts in centerfield. "It's just knowing that you can make the plays and staying confident," Ames said. "Knowing you have a good pitcher who throws strikes, they're gonna hit the ball and put it in play. You have to be ready for that." The Truckers were all smiles after the final out. They and the rest of the SBC Lake Division have known Bellevue as the hurdle that couldn't be hurdled over the last three years. But Thursday night proved that this season's league race might just be wide open. Bellevue goes to Clyde on Friday night, while Norwalk heads to Sandusky. The Truckers will make that road trip feeling assured that when called upon in pressure situations, be it an escape room or a league rivalry game, they can deliver. "We had a lot of team bonding this week," Gockstetter said. "It shows that your team is really what keeps you going. We're gonna make sure we stay tight as a team and not let anything come between that, because the team is what does it, for sure." Bellevue 102 000 0 — 3 6 1Norwalk 140 000 x — 5 9 0WP: Gockstetter. LP: Holzhauer 2B: (B) Henney, Sommers. 3B: (N) Corbin, Gockstetter