NORTH ROBINSON — Colonel Crawford coach Ethan Weithman had to roll the dice in the top of the seventh against rival Wynford.
Peyton Rowlinson had thrown 6⅓ innings for the Eagles but was starting to slow down and saw a four-run lead slip to two. Weithman then turned to freshman Aubrey Betts who had been sidelined with injury to secure the final two outs.
“She hasn’t pitched in over a week because of her arm,” Weithman said. “She’s had something going on with it and we couldn’t figure out what it was. She finally went to the doctor, got an injection, then had an MRI and they said nothing was amiss. So they limited her to three innings or 50 pitches, and the way Peyton was throwing that last inning I think she was about at the end of a rope.
“So I decided to roll the dice — let’s try it and see what happens — and she was able to get it done.”
Betts’ first pitch was in the dirt allowing Lily Laipply to score for Wynford and runners to advance to second and third. But after she settled down she got Briley Hildrith to put the ball in play and Rowlinson was able to make a sliding catch in shallow right field for the out. Three pitches later, Kate McGuire grounded out to Betts to secure a 6-5 win for Colonel Crawford.
It was fitting that Rowlinson unknowingly scored what would be the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth. Belting a triple to right field, she was driven in by Arabella Stratton’s groundout to second. And with the go-ahead runs on base in the seventh, her sliding catch just minutes after moving to right field preserved the win.
“She’s been out there most of the year, then I had to bring her in to second base, and then with Aubrey getting hurt she had to pitch,” Weithman said. “Coming back from her back injury last year and doing what she’s doing this year is really awesome to see.
“I’m glad I get to have her for another couple years because having two pitchers is really big. If you gave two kids that can throw strikes, you’re pretty good.”
And she pitched good enough last week against the Royals to have earned the win, but errors — as they have throughout the season — proved costly.
“When we played them on Friday, it was a good game,” Weithman said. “Peyton threw seven innings, gave up eight runs, and only had one earned run. A couple errors here and there, and if you make those plays she wins 5-1. Hopefully we can carry this into Wednesday and then we’ll see what happens after that.”
Colonel Crawford can ride the momentum of a rivalry win into a Division VI sectional championship against county foe Bucyrus on Wednesday.
“We’re young and for most of the season, we just couldn’t get out of our own way,” Weithman said. “But if we can stay out of our own way, not overthink things, and just make plays, we’re a pretty tough team.”
Similarly, Wynford shifts its focus to postseason play hosting Mansfield Christian on Wednesday. The Royals were in contention for a league title tied atop the standings with Mohawk and Upper Sandusky, but the loss drops them a game back with two to play.
And fighting back to get within a position to win late showed how resilient this team is.
“They don’t let up, they don’t give up,” Wynford coach Chelsea Rice said. “They were down 4-1, 4-2, 6-2, and they came back. We try to play from the first inning until the last — whether that’s the seventh, eighth, ninth, maybe the top of the fifth if we’re lucky — they don’t let up.
“The N10 is a tough league. We see that when we play outside of it, and we’re going to see it in our district.”
zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Seventh inning gamble pays off as Colonel Crawford holds off resilient rival Wynford
Reporting by Zachary Holden, Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum / Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
