»Box score, B2
KETTERING — Rain twice postponed the Division I softball district finals at Fairmont High School, but this time the weather was perfect.
And so was Bethany Campbell.
Lebanon’s senior right-hander retired all 21 Fairfield batters she faced Monday, May 24, throwing a perfect game that lifted the Warriors to their third consecutive district championship with a 3-0 victory.
“It feels awesome to do something like that, and to do it against a good team like Fairfield is even better,” said Campbell, who struck out 10 and didn’t allow a single ball to leave the infield.
“I knew I had one going the whole time, but when I got out on the field I kept telling myself, ‘Don’t think about it,’ ” Campbell added.
The win moves Lebanon (28-2) into the regional semifinals, where the Warriors will face Lakota East (24-5) at 5 p.m. Thursday at the University of Dayton.
“They’re one of the best teams we’ve seen this year,” said Fairfield coach Brenda Stieger, whose Indians (20-7) dropped a 2-0 decision to Lebanon earlier this season.
“We’re a team that when we get down, we come back,” Stieger continued. “Even in the seventh inning I still thought we had a chance, but (Campbell) was too good.”
It was the second year in a row Fairfield’s season ended on a no-hitter in the district finals after Glen Este’s Kelley Benhase did it to the Indians last year.
But Campbell was the first pitcher to throw a perfect game against Fairfield since 1982.
“The girls knew (Campbell was throwing a perfect game) and they were willing to do whatever it took,” Stieger said. “We bunted and just tried to put the ball in play, but she just pitched really well.
“And offensively they’re just a very aggressive team,” Stieger continued. “They had us on our heels early.”
The Warriors scored the only run they would need in the first inning. After FHS pitcher Jaisa Fox retired the first two batters, Casey Hutchinson, Alex Walter and Campbell strung together back-to-back-to-back singles for a 1-0 lead.
Lebanon added another run in the third and one in the fourth, and then it was just a matter of waiting to see whether Campbell would be able to finish what she started.
The loss marked the final prep game for six Fairfield seniors — Samantha Hibbard, Tessa Casey, Kari Baumgartner, Sarah Hursell, Shelby Doan and Fox, who leaves FHS as the winningest pitcher in program history along with several other school records.
About the Author