Lane Ks 15, Margaretta rallies past PC

CASTALIA — Senior pitcher Cassidy Lane struck out 15 batters to lead Margaretta to an 8-3 Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division softball win over Port Clinton on Monday at Lions Park. Lane had to work for the win. She threw 127 pitches and helped the Polar Bears rally with a five-run fifth inning to stay tied for first place in the SBC Bay with Edison, which defeated Vermilion on Monday. "It's a big SBC game and we came back from that tragic loss to Edison (last week)," Lane said. "I was just trying to do everything I could to help us win." Lane, who walked only one batter, was not sure about her career-high for strikeouts. "Fifteen might be it," she said. "I didn't pitch a lot my freshman and sophomore year and last year I really didn't play at all (due to an injury)." The Polar Bears improved to 12-3 overall and 6-1 in the Bay with three league games to play. Port Clinton, which was shut out 11-0 by Margaretta three weeks ago, made the rematch interesting. The Redskins (11-8, 4-4) took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth when Jae Mazur's fly ball to shallow left field was dropped with two out and two runners on base. Pinch-runner Bailey Conger (running for Marissa Frohne, who singled) and Bella Belden, who had two singles in the game, scored to give PC an early lead. "We had them on the ropes," PC coach Ryan Wiechman said. "After last week (one-run losses to Edison and Huron) I'm tired of being close. We need to get over this hump against the best teams we play and put it together." Margaretta took a 2-0 lead when Brooke Hastings doubled in Ellianna Young in the first inning and Ellaynah Schaefer laid down a bunt single to score Elie Grime with two out in the second. In the fourth, Schaefer pushed a bunt past PC pitcher Frohne with two out to score Isla Palomo, who reached on a single. Margaretta's four-run fifth was aided by an error after the infield fly rule was called on Palomo's popup. The ball dropped and Young, who had two singles in the game, scored the go-ahead run. "We kinda let it fall apart there in the fifth with a hodgepodge of things," Wiechman said. Grime's bunt single scored Cassidy Lane before Tessa Lane's two-run single brought in two runs. "The girls made good contact. We started making good adjustments," Margaretta coach Mike Williamson said. "We've been working on bunting all year. Now we're starting to prep for the playoffs. Small ball is a big part of what we're gonna be doing." PC pitcher Frohne struck out 10 and scattered four walks. Cassidy Lane blasted a line drive off Frohne's left hand in the third inning. It ricocheted to second baseman Alaina Seiser, who threw to first for an out. Frohne was shaken up on the play but continued to pitch "It was an unusual 1-4-3 (out)," Wiechman said. "She was fine; she point some ice on it. She could grip and everything. She'll pitch (Tuesday) against Willard." Frohne had three strikeouts in the first inning and threw 132 pitches. "She pitched phenomenal," Wiechman saiid. "She made some pitches to get out of innings and the defense didn't back her up. She has been the biggest surprise this year with how much command she has and she still surprises people with her speed. She makes those out pitches but we need to make those outs." Williamson told his team before the game he expected a fight from PC after the run-rule final in early April. "They're a good team and Marissa is a great pitcher — one of the best in the league," he said. "We had to battle and we told them it was gonna be like this. We tried to approach it like it was a playoff game." PC's Micaela Wiechman, who celebrated her birthday Monday, had two singles and a RBI double that scored Mazur with PC's first run in the third inning. Mazur finished with two hits and PC had base hits in six of seven innings. "We battled with Cassidy. We had quality at-bats," Wiechman said. "We were seeing six, seven pitches from the first inning. That part of the game was going really well. Even if we weren't getting on base we were making her work. We didn't finish." Cassidy Lane singled to drive in Young in the sixth with Margaretta's final run. "It was great team win. Everybody did something," Williamson said. "We knew they'd be hungry." Port Clinton 001 200 0 — 3 8 2 Margaretta 110 141 x — 8 10 1 WP: Lane. LP: Frohne. 2B: (PC) Wiechman. (M) Hastings