Ryan’s base hit gives Waterford 1-0 win against FF
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WATERFORD -- With the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning of a scoreless tie, Waterford's Leah Ryan swung at the first pitch she saw. Ryan smacked a line drive to left-center field to plate Avery Smithberger for the only run of the game and give the Wildcats a 1-0 win over rival Fort Frye Thursday.
Waterford pitcher Kari Carney traded zeros with Fort Frye hurler Jaz Casto for six innings, but in the seventh, the Wildcats finally were able to get a run across to claim their fourth win in a row.
"That's what you like in a game like this," said Waterford head coach Doug Baldwin. "You want a good, clean game and move quick."
Carney had a chance to win the game at the plate in the seventh, but her line drive was snared by second baseman Raeleigh Archer. Archer threw to third and nearly got a forceout to end the inning, but Smithberger got back safely, setting up Ryan's game-winning hit.
That wasn't the first display of excellent defense in this game. Sophie Huffman led off the bottom of the fourth with a single, but after a popout, Katie Lowe's sharp grounder up the middle was snagged by a diving Emmie Duskey at shortstop. Duskey flipped to Archer, who made a quick turn to Denay Layton at first for an inning-ending double play.
"Defensively, we've been stout," said Fort Frye head coach Brian Duskey. "Emmie consistently comes through for us with big plays like that. She's a lockdown shortstop, really."
The next half-inning, with runners on first and second and two outs, Fort Frye's Jaden Cox hit a ball to shallow center that appeared to be headed for no-man's land. However, a hard-charging Laykyn Jones laid out for a diving catch to get the Wildcats out of the jam.
Then, in the bottom of the fifth, a single by Smithberger and an error on Shelby Wagner's bunt put runners on second and third with no outs. Casto got Jones to hit a liner right back to her, then threw to second to get the forceout for a double play. Later, Casto got out of the inning with a groundout.
"I got a little upset about that, but our kids didn't give up," Baldwin said. "They came back and fought hard."
Mattie Schneider's two-out flyball to deep left in the top of the sixth looked like it was going to drop for extra bases, but Olivia Schott made a running, over-the-shoulder catch.
Casto worked around a double by Huffman in the bottom of the sixth. Carney answered by escaping the top of the seventh after a two-out triple by Archer. Alyssa Duskey hit a hard grounder to short, but Maya Wilson fielded it cleanly and fired a strike to Ryan at first.
The run allowed in the seventh by Casto was unearned, as Smithberger reached via an error to start the rally. Jones and Wilson both singled to load the bases.
Fort Frye got bit by bad luck in the top of the fourth. Singles by Amaya Slagle and Schneider put runners on the corners. Gwyn Rauch followed with a sharp grounder to the right side that was headed for the outfield, but it struck Schneider in the leg between first and second to end the inning.
Carney finished with a complete-game shutout, striking out three and issuing one intentional walk.
"Carney brings a lot of experience and a lot of ability on the mound," Duskey said. "She throws well and she fields well. She don't give you nothing you can usually hit hard. She's a very solid player."
Casto pitched 6 2-3 innings with one punchout and one walk.
"Jaz is not flashy, she's not fast, but she hits her spots and she's tough to hit," Duskey said. "Jaz is and probably always will be my rock on the mound."
Earlier this year, Fort Frye defeated Waterford 9-6 in a game where the Wildcats committed five errors. Thursday's rematch was a much different story, with Waterford playing a clean game defensively.
"Earlier in the year, little things cost us ballgames," said Baldwin, whose team improved to 8-12 and visits Eastern Monday. "We made those little things today happen. These kids have worked so hard. They've been focused this week. Our hitting's gotten better. Kari's gotten stronger on the mound. Our base-running's gotten better. I could go around and talk about every one of them."
Fort Frye dropped to 6-8 and will play host to Federal Hocking at 5 p.m. Tuesday for senior night.
"I'm happy with how the girls played, but I'm always disappointed about losing," Duskey said. "Losing a rivalry match is never good, but as far as the effort, very pleased with the girls."
Jordan Holland can be reached at jholland@mariettatimes.com.