Lebanon softball rolls to district

Warriors claim 6th straight Division I sectional title with 4-1 victory over Troy.

CENTERVILLE — For the sixth straight season, Lebanon High School’s softball team will play for a district championship.

The Warriors earned a berth in the Division I district finals with a 4-1 victory over Troy at Centerville on Tuesday, May 18.

“We’re looking forward to playing for another district championship and excited to win a sectional title,” Lebanon senior center fielder Tory Urton said.

Urton provided the game-winning hit for the Warriors, lifting a two-out bloop single behind second base to score Stacey Sekerak and Vanessa Lay with the game’s first two runs in the bottom of the second.

“That’s what a senior should do and that’s what we expect out of Tory Urton,” Lebanon softball coach Brian Kindell said. “Whether she rips one in the gap or gets a bloop hit, as a senior it’s her job to deliver in the clutch, and she did that. She got the job done.”

The Warriors (27-2) added two more in the fifth on singles by Ana Walter and Jerrica Krupa, followed by an RBI single by Alex Walter. Krupa scored the fourth run on a throwing error following Walter’s hit.

“We got two runs on a bloop single and two on speed,” Kindell said. “We hit the ball hard all day, but they made a lot of defensive plays to keep us off base.”

Lebanon pitcher Bethany Campbell made the lead hold up, allowing just two hits and walking one while striking out seven.

Both hits and the walk came in Troy’s half of the sixth with Mackenzie Dankworth driving in Shelby Schultz.

“Bethany was solid,” Kindell said. “One through nine, Troy does a good job of putting the bat on the ball, but she hit the corners and we made enough defensive plays behind her to win the game.”

Lebanon committed just one error, while Troy (11-12) misplayed three balls. That didn’t sit well with Trojans coach Dan Cain.

“They beat us 11-1 the first time we played them so this is an improvement, but I wasn’t happy that we didn’t play a clean game because that’s what you have to do at this point of the season,” Cain said. “They didn’t make mistakes. We did.

“They were better than we were. We had trouble with Campbell — she kept it down early and when we put together some hits in the sixth inning she changed up speed on us, which is what a smart pitcher does.”

Lebanon banged out eight hits off Troy’s freshman pitcher, Amber Smith, who took the loss.

Krupa was the only Warrior hitter to collect two hits, while Lauren Davis’ double was the only extra-base hit recorded by the winners.

Lebanon advances to play Fairfield for a district championship. The game will be played Friday at Kettering Fairmont. The teams met April 10 in a regular-season game. The Warriors won 3-1.

About the Author