Wendell Hutchinson, the softball coach who guided the program to its first state tournament, noticed. And near the end of the session, he looked to his left and saw why their season-long grind was important to them.
“You look at these kids up here and you see that they’ve been crying and it matters,” he said. “And last year, when we lost our regional final, we remembered that score for a very long time. This score will not be forgotten.”
The score: a 3-1 loss to Lebanon in the Division I championship game in a grind of a game that resembled their season. The Elks started 0-3 and 5-10 against what they consider the most difficult schedule in Ohio and entered the tournament at 12-13. But they rallied, learned how to win and made a tournament run only they thought possible.
“I just don’t think that they ever really believed that we were ever what our record shows,” Hutchinson said. “We have a confidence about us. We played expecting to win.”
While the Elks fell short in their first state appearance, Lebanon head coach Brian Kindell had the feeling of finally getting the gold in his 21st season. He previously led the Warriors to state five times. Three times they finished second.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” he said. “We were up here so many times about 10 years ago and ran into some really, really good North Canton Hoover teams. We had some really heartbreak endings that cost us. It’s nice to get back to this final game and come out on top.”
Hutchinson and Kindell are longtime close friends. Hutchinson’s daughter Casie played on Kindell’s first state team in 2012. His daughter Brianna played on Kindell’s state teams in 2014 and 2015.
“It’s more than just a game with us,” Hutchinson said. “When my family was struggling, he was there and helped us through some pretty dark times, and I’ll always be thankful of that.”
When Hutchinson became the Elks’ coach in 2020, he told the parents in his first meeting that Lebanon was the best program in Southwest Ohio and that he would build Centerville in that image.
Brianna accompanied her dad to home plate to exchange lineup cards before the game. The both shared hugs with Kindell.
“I have the highest amount of respect for him, and the only thing I probably have more respect for are his two daughters,” Kindell said. “Casey and Bri are phenomenal kids. They were both phenomenal players, and in their careers here at Lebanon just did everything right.”
The first inning set the tone when the Warriors scored twice after two outs. Ace pitcher Sophia Sheidler began the rally with a line-drive single to left to plate a runner who had reached on an error. Paislee Stansberry added an RBI single before the Elks could end the inning.
“It feels like the very beginning of the season,” Hutchinson said. “We’re right there on the verge of getting out of the inning. The key for us was going to be get out of the first inning clean and then start building our at bats.”
Hannah O’Connor had the Elks’ only hit until Chloe Jett tripled to lead off the fifth. She scored on a groundout to put pressure on the Warriors. But they responded with a run in the sixth on Stansberry’s second RBI single.
“It was an amazing game, exactly what we had hoped it would be with the exception of the outcome,” Hutchinson said. “Both teams played well. I thought that we had great at bats against a great pitcher, and she was just a little bit better than us today. But we kept battling, and we had a chance right down to the last two innings.”
After the Warriors celebrated their long-awaited championship, the coaches took their customary places at the end of the handshake line. Before they got to each other, Kindell had a long embrace with Brianna.
When the coaches came together, they hugged and talked, telling each other how much they respect each other.
For Hutchinson, the loss was disappointing. But he was happy for his friend.
“I’m extremely happy for him,” Hutchinson said. “I’m sad for our girls, and he would understand that. We want to win and we want the championship trophy. We want gold instead of silver, and all those good things. But somebody was going to win that game, and somebody was going to lose.”
Kindell knew exactly how Hutchinson felt and told him how much he respects what Hutchinson has accomplished in such a short time at Centerville.
“I said, ‘Stay with it,” Kindell said. “‘Keep doing what your doing, and you’re going to be in this game again, and you’re going to win your last game.”
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