“When we hit the ball, we’re tough to beat,” said Mohawks coach Joe Amstutz, whose squad finished 16-9. “We did hit it today. We just didn’t hit it in stretches. Kylie’s a great pitcher. She had us guessing a little bit.”
The top two spots in the order provided all of Madison’s offense. Leadoff hitter KenDahl Bowles singled twice, and No. 2 batter Bekah Lenos doubled and singled.
They led off the sixth inning with singles, but were stranded on second and third in a perfect snapshot of the Mohawks’ frustration.
“We were there mentally,” Bowles said. “Physically, it wasn’t there. We couldn’t produce.”
Lenos said the Blue Devils (19-9) seemed more prepared to play than Madison, which won 10-7 at Brookville on April 1.
“Brookville’s a good team. I give them the credit they deserve,” Lenos said. “They were out for blood, and it pushed them to play harder than us.”
The Blue Devils didn’t exactly pound Mohawks pitcher Kenzie Oney, who threw a seven-hitter. Shelbie Ballard delivered a two-run single in the second inning, and Jamie Winterbotham added an RBI double in the fifth.
“It was kind of a ho-hum 3-0 win,” Brookville coach Doug Orange said. “It wasn’t anything spectacular, but we fundamentally got the job done.
“We’ve been playing our best ball the last six to eight games. When you get to this point, it’s all about playing good ‘D’ and scratching out a couple runs.”
Amstutz said it was a quality season for his young team. Its roster included no seniors.
“We heard at the beginning of the year that this was going to be a rebuilding year,” Amstutz said. “In my humble opinion, that’s kind of a slap in the face because when somebody says it’s a rebuilding year, that means the players that you’ve got aren’t good enough to win right now.
“We’ve got some work to do. We’ve got to get bigger and stronger and get all of our kids believing in themselves. I fully expect to be back at this spot next year. I want to play at Wright State. My girls want to play at Wright State. Getting to the regional is going to be one of our goals next year.”
The Blue Devils will meet another Southwestern Buckeye League opponent, Milton-Union, in the regional semifinals Thursday at WSU.
About the Author