COLUMBIA, S.C. - Danielle Stiene (Loveland, Ohio) continued her impressive weekend in the circle for the Ohio softball team (3-1), throwing six strikeouts and effectively stifling the Winthrop (3-6) offense on the way to a 5-1 win against the Eagles in the final day of the Carolina Classic in Columbia, S.C.
"Dani's change-up is always a very effective pitch against most teams," said catcher Madison Claytor (Alpharetta, Ga.), "So we just stuck to the strength, and went straight at the batters and let our defense work behind us."
The strategy worked well against the Eagles' lineup, which could only muster two hits through the first five innings. A two-hit sixth finally got Winthrop on the board, but it wasn't enough to climb out of the 4-0 hole the Bobcats' had put them into.
"She [Claytor] knew that they weren't really touching the change-ups, so she was being very liberal with those calls today, and I loved that," Stiene explained. "We really were attacking batters, just trying to get the umpire to call that outside corner."
Offensively for Ohio, they didn't need much time to make an impact. A first inning bunt from Taylor Saxton (Circleville, Ohio) put a runner aboard, and after a steal of second and a throwing error to put her on third, Claytor hooked a single into center field to score Saxton and give Ohio an early 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth, the Bobcats pounced yet again. Mikayla Cooper (Delaware, Ohio) led off by getting hit with a pitch and advancing to second on a groundout by Samantha Bowlsbey (Farmingdale, N.J.). Following a steal of third base, Cooper came home when Amanda Dalton (Salem, Va.) roped a single to left field. On the very next pitch, when Sloan Walker (Cypress, Texas) dropped a bunt at the feet of the catcher, who made an errant throw to first that wound up on the warning track in right field, bringing both Dalton and Walker back around to push the score to 4-0.
Winthrop's lone run came in the bottom of the sixth, when Leah Young's infield groundout scored Shayna Covington, who smacked a leadoff triple into the left field corner.
Ohio regained its four-run lead in the next frame, when Morgan Geno (Chillicothe, Ohio) was plunked while pinch-hitting for Claytor. After getting on base, Geno went back to the dugout, and Claytor took her place on first. A wild pitch allowed her to take second, and a single up the middle by Cooper brought her in to score.
In the bottom of the seventh, Savannah Jo Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio) entered the game to relieve Stiene, and struck out the first batter she faced. Despite hitting the next batter, Dorsey forced the last Winthrop batter to swing into a 4-3 double play, ending the game.
"3-1 is just a tribute to these girls coming out and working so hard in practices Monday through Thursday," said head coach Jodi Hermanek. "I'm just really happy with their drive and with their motivation and always wanting to be better."
Overall for Ohio, the team racked up nine hits - two from Cooper, and one apiece from Saxton, Claytor, Dalton, Walker, Deanna Cole (Akron, Ohio), and Alex Day (Hilliard, Ohio), and Michaela Dorsey (Grove City, Ohio).
The Bobcats' next game will take place on Friday, February 25 at 11 a.m. against La Salle in Spartanburg, S.C., when they open play at the Spartan Classic at USC Upstate.
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