“We gifted the game to them,” Badin coach Greg Stitzel said. “We’ve been preaching all week about how the team that makes the fewest mistakes in the field and on the base paths will win. You saw them diving after balls and making great plays. We just made errors.
“Kudos to their pitcher. She pitched a great game, but my pitcher pitched just as good.”
Danielle Ray tossed a seven-hitter with seven strikeouts for the Rams, who finished 28-2. She gave up four unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning, which included three BHS errors.
“That happens,” said Ray, who suffered her only loss of the year and will play for Trine University next season. “I knew the game wasn’t over. I know we believed in each other. We just couldn’t quite get it.”
Jenna Robbins pitched a four-hitter and struck out seven for the Warriors (25-4). The sophomore kept Badin off balance most of the day, allowing one extra-base hit (a double by Lexi Wurzelbacher).
Sophomore catcher Macie Crew delivered Northwestern’s biggest hit of the day. She snapped the scoreless deadlock by lining a one-out, two-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth — it turned into a three-run play when the ball was misplayed in left field.
“I was a little nervous, but I just hit the ball hard,” said Crew, who had lined out in her first two at-bats. “I was just trucking. I didn’t really know what to think.”
Rachel Martin followed with an RBI single to plate Crew, and the 4-spot was more than enough for Robbins.
“She definitely mixed up her speeds and pitches and kept them guessing,” Northwestern coach Missy Johnson said. “That’s key at this point in the season.”
The sixth inning started with Jamie Rutherford reaching base on an error, and she was sacrificed to second by Abby Zerkle. Stitzel opted to intentionally walk Robbins, even though she had struck out twice at that point.
The Rams then got the grounder to the left side they wanted, but an error allowed Taj Kniceley to load the bases. Crew was the next batter.
“The big hitter’s up and first base is open. Why give her a shot?” Stitzel said of walking Robbins. “We got a perfect ball to the left side, error again, then the wheels came off.”
“We usually do well in the sixth inning,” Johnson said. “I don’t know why it takes them until then. Our outfield made some great plays today. I think that helped lift us intensity-wise and helped us go up to bat with a little more confidence.”
Stitzel thought his players were very loose before the game. He looked across the field and thought the Warriors looked tight.
Miranda Gillman had two hits for NHS. Shelby Schmitt, Maddie Curtner and Lauren Moser singled for Badin.
Northwestern — seeking its eighth state berth, but first since 2000 — will meet Johnstown-Monroe for the regional title at noon Saturday at Wright State.
“One step away,” Johnson said with a smile. “We’ll just come with the same mentality, give it our all for 21 outs, and hopefully we’ll come out on top. I was here watching Johnstown yesterday. Their pitcher is very similar to Hamilton Badin’s pitcher.”
Despite the loss, Stitzel said it was still a record-setting season for his Rams. Their previous regional appearances came in 1992 and 2015. The team is 101-13 over the last four years.
Badin is losing four seniors: Ray, Wurzelbacher, Allie Link and Hannah Broermann.
“We defended our district championship and set some records along the way,” Stitzel said. “We had a great season. There’s not much else you can say. We had so many years where we were going out early in the sectional. Now we’re going out early in the regional. That’s something we have to work on.”
Ray said the team couldn’t have imagined a 28-2 campaign in the preseason.
“It just kept building and building,” she said. “We wanted to go a lot farther, but stuff happens. I’ll miss this team forever.”
Northwestern 000-004-0—4-7-1
Badin 000-000-0—0-4-5
WP — Jenna Robbins (20-3); LP — Danielle Ray (17-1). Records: N 25-4, B 28-2
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