The Braves (23-5) beat Central Buckeye Conference foes Graham and Kenton Ridge by one run each in sectional games to advance to Saturday’s district final. There was no need for nail-biting by fans on Saturday, as Shawnee smacked four hits in the first two innings and took advantage of two walks to take a 6-1 lead.
“I think that really brought our confidence up,” Shawnee senior shortstop Aliya Saunders said. “If one teammate starts hitting, everybody knows they can hit.”
Saunders, the team’s No. 2 hitter, boosted the confidence of her teammates early. She hit a triple to left field in the first inning that scored Paree Furness from first base, then she hit a two-RBI double in the second.
The Braves added five more runs in the fifth, the last of which came on an RBI single by Saunders. Shawnee had eight hits and two walks, while Eaton had three hits against senior pitcher Mary Britton.
“I think it says a lot about our schedule and our league,” Shawnee coach Chris Roberts said of the dominating performance. “The CBC is a monster all on its own. With what we face all the time in conference play, it sets us up very well for this level.”
Britton, who had four strikeouts, credited the defensive play of her teammates for helping with the win.
One big defensive play helped preserve the run rule in the fifth. After the Eagles got a base hit, Shawnee catcher Madison Jones threw out a runner at second base on a steal attempt with a fast throw after a pitch.
“My team definitely came through and supported me all the way,” Britton said.
Shawnee will face Jonathan Alder in a regional semifinal Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Mason High School. Alder, which will join the CBC next season, beat Shawnee 8-7 in a regional final in 2014.
Claudia Spitzer, who went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, said getting an early lead against Alder would help Shawnee’s chances at a win.
“We’ve got to make sure we believe in ourselves,” Spitzer said. “We either think that we’re already ahead and we’re going to win, or we get down on ourselves and don’t believe that we can. We’ve just got to make sure we believe in ourselves.”
Northwestern 5, Middletown Madison 0: The Warriors scored four runs in the sixth inning to spark their Division III district final win at Eaton. It's the fourth consecutive district championship for Northwestern, which advances to play the winner of Monday's Hamilton Badin-Clermont Northeastern game in a regional semifinal at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Wright State.
West Liberty-Salem 16, Cin. Reading 2: The Tigers run-ruled the Blue Devils in five innings in a Division III district final. Kenedie Cox went 4-for-4, Olivia Ames had four RBIs. WLS (21-5) advances to face Columbus Ready in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Wright State.
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