High Schools

LIBERTY TWP. — Aggression gave way to discretion for the Greenville High School softball team in its Division I district championship game against Hamilton on Thursday, May 22, at Lakota East.

Eschewing their usual in-your-face, attacking style, the Lady Wave instead sat back and worked Big Blue pitcher Ashley Boyd for three first-inning walks, and Madison Shuret dropped a soft, 50-foot single in front of shortstop Rachel Cox to score courtesy runner Kaylin Cates with the game's first — and only — run.

Greenville pitcher Kyli Gunckel made it stand up with a complete-game, four-hit shutout, retiring 12 of the final 13 batters she faced to lift the Lady Wave to a 1-0 victory.

"It's our plate or her plate, and we decided we were going to try to make it ours," Greenville coach Jerrod Newland said. "With a great all-state pitcher like (Boyd) ... we were just trying to dink and dunk and put it in play."

The district title is the third in a row for Greenville (25-5), moving the team into Thursday's regional semifinal at the University of Dayton against the winner of Saturday's Lakota East-Glen Este game. Hamilton ends its season 20-7.

Boyd also threw a complete-game four-hitter. She retired 13 of the final 15 she faced and didn't walk a batter after the first while striking out nine. Gunckel fanned three.

"I have a great defense behind me, and I can always count on them," said Gunckel, who also collected two of her team's four hits.

First baseman Mollie Ruble snared a line drive over her head to end the first inning and strand a Big Blue runner on third. Left fielder Ashlee Powell made a long running catch in the second, and center fielder Macie Blinn made a diving grab in the fifth.

"It's all about defense," Newland said. "That's what wins championships, whether it's the NFL or high school girls softball."

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