Margaretta beats Huron to clinch SBC Bay title

HURON — Margaretta ace Cassidy Lane was injured last year and the Polar Bears struggled on the softball diamond. Lane is back, and so are the Bears. The senior struck out eight and worked out of constant trouble to help Margaretta turn back Huron 5-1 on Friday to clinch no worse than a share for the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division title. "It's great for the school," Lane said. "Since it's my senior year, it's like going out with a bang." The Bears finished 9-1 in the Bay and take a 17-5 overall mark into next Tuesday's Division VI district semifinal against Lakota at Clyde. "We struggled last year (6-15), but we got better from it," Margaretta coach Mike Williamson said. "We were playing good ball at the end of the year. We were excited about (Lane and injured Isla Palomo) coming back this year because we knew what we could do. "It's very satisfying. It's our first goal. Now we can look forward to districts on Tuesday." The Bears shut out Huron 10-0 last month in Castalia, but ran into much more resistance with a conference title on the line. Huron (11-8, 4-5) scored first. Lucy Hinters led off the bottom of the first inning with a single. Kaylee Albrycht singled and Rylie Dehn delivered a RBI single to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Albrycht had two of the Tigers' four hits. Huron had runners on base in six innings and got nine runners to second or third base as Lane walked five and hit a batter. "We're getting better, getting more games," Huron coach Jude Schmidt said. "That's a good team over there. Cassidy Lane pitched great. She came up with the pitches when she had to. We were putting the ball in play. "A couple things go our way and it could've been a different game. It was 2-1 in the seventh — they played a good game. Both teams." Huron hosts Edison on Monday with a chance to knock the Chargers out of a share for first in the Bay. The fourth-seeded Tigers face second-seeded Elmwood in a Division V district semifinal next Wednesday in Clyde. Margaretta took the lead in the third inning. Breckyn Olsen led off with a sharp single up the middle. With two out, Lucy Edwards ripped a two-run home run over the scoreboard in center field. "I hit it right on the sweet spot and it went pretty far. That thing flew," Edwards said. "I was trying to locate a seam, hit it and go." Edwards also singled and doubled and hit a loud out to the fence in center. "She was waiting on the ball; we've been working on that," Williamson said. "She waited a little more and got the middle of the ball. It was a huge hit." Margaretta cleanup hitter Brooke Hastings singled, doubled and was intentionally walked. The catcher ended the game by cutting down a Huron runner trying to steal third base. Lane pitched well with the lead, throwing four no-hit innings to end the game. Five of her strikeouts came in the last three innings as she navigated a big hole in front of the rubber. "It was tough and you gotta push through it," Lane said. "I found my groove over time and stayed in the same path. My defense had my back and they helped me so much." The conditions in the circle required Lane to change her approach. "I think she learned to manage the mound a little bit," Williamson said. "She came in after the first inning and goes, 'I think I rolled my ankle like five times that inning. I don't know what I'm doing.' We changed our approach and it worked. Plus she got accustomed to the mound. That combination worked." Margaretta added three runs in the seventh. Elie Grime walked, Tessa Lane reached on an error and leadoff hitter Ellaynah Schaefer slapped a single into left field to score two runs. Schaefer scored on Elliana Young's groundout. "We had the right order coming up (in the seventh)," Williamson said. "The bottom of the order has done the job all year. We were right where we wanted to be. We got around to the top with Schaefer and everyone did well." Afterward, the Bears posed for a team photo and put the regular season behind them. "It feels better than last year," Edwards said. "We came back and had a way better season. I feel like we're working together and have way better confidence." Margaretta 002 000 3 — 5 7 2 Huron 100 000 0 — 1 4 2 WP: C. Lane. LP: Holeman. 2B: (M) Hastings, Edwards. HR: (M) Edwards