Kings High School’s fans have a reputation for traveling well (remember the “Red Sea” at Wright State when the volleyball team won the 2023 state championship?), but they didn’t have to drive far to witness the Knights clinch their first ever softball regional title, a 2-1 win over Clayton Northmont at Mason High School.
“It’s so nice because I only live like 10 minutes away. I like being close to home, especially with the turnout we’ve had. I’ve seen so many people that I love here, coming to games. My own family has ben able to make it out, everybody from school, even my favorite service dog that comes every Friday was able to make it out,” senior pitcher Neely McElhaney said.
McElhaney was one of the featured players in the win, throwing 123 pitches (85 strikes), striking out 10 batters and allowing just three hits and two walks.
With the tying run on third base with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, she struck out Jabria Bickerstaff, leading to her teammates mobbing her in the circle.
McElhaney meticulously scouts every player she could possibly face, allowing her to only focus on the task at hand and not worry about who’s on base.
“Neely is a cerebral pitcher. She doesn’t get too high, she doesn’t get too low. When things get a little bit rough out there, I don’t really panic too much because she’s capable of calming herself down and get to where she needs to be. That kid does notes on every teams she’s gonna face. She has a notebook with probably six pages on these kids. Knew how we were gonna attack them. She just came out and did her thing,” Kings head coach John Schablein said.
When Julia Lowry led off the second inning with her 11th home run of the season, there was a feeling that the Knights would use their power to overwhelm the Bolts. It was the team’s 38th home run of the season, a new program record.
“To be able to put the team on the board and get the energy started, to keep us rolling is an amazing feeling,” Lowry said.
Despite Northmont’s 19-11 record, there was a reason they were in the regional final, beating Troy 7-0 in the regional final after losing to the Trojans, 10-6, to open the season.
Northmont’s Jadyn Johnson was up to the task, putting together one of her best outings of the season. She struck out 14 batters and allowed just four hits and walked three.
Two of those walks and one of the hits came in the fourth inning. Kings’ Grace Parkhurst opened the frame by reaching on an error. Lowry followed with a walk. One out later, Madi Titler singled to right to load the bases. With two outs, junior Abbie McKinney worked a walk on a seven-pitch at-bat to score what became the winning run.
“I had to be as patient as I’ve ever been. She has some really good spin on all of her pitches, so it’s really important to make sure you see the spin and can differentiate between a ball and a strike. It was a fun at-bat but it was nerve-wracking,” McKinney said.
The Knights’ defense was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on Saturday afternoon. In the third inning, a fielding error by Parkhurst and a throwing error by McElhaney allowed the Bolts to tie the game at 1-1. Kings committed three errors in the first three innings; the Knights hadn’t committed that many errors in a game since April 17.
“We talked about it, not with the kids but the coaches. We’re like, ‘Holy cow.’ It was a little bit of nerves early on. We got to this point last year and couldn’t get over the hump. I think there was some nerves but we settled down,” Schablein said.
But they wouldn’t commit an error the rest of the way. For the second day in a row, Emma Myles made a sliding catch in right field that saved at least one run. She made another diving catch to start the fourth inning. Schablein complimented her as one of the best right fielders he’s coached in his 23 years.
Also in the fourth inning, Parkhurst snagged a sinking liner at first base. In the sixth inning, Titler ranged to her right to snag a line drive destined for center field.
Now 28-1, it would be erroneous to say the Knights are hitting their stride in the postseason. They’ve been hitting their stride since March 23. Now it’s just about making history.
“It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed about. We’ve been talking about this since we were eight, nine years old playing for a rec team. To be able to do this is everything we’ve worked for,” Lowry said.
Who will Kings play in its first state tournament appearance?
The Knights will face Painesville Riverside, which beat Green 10-3 in the Region 8 final. The game will take place at 3 p.m. on June 6 at Akron Firestone Stadium.
It will be a jam-packed week for Kings, filled with community celebrations, even though school has been out for the summer for two weeks. That won’t distract the Knights from their goal of winning two games next weekend.
“You have to remind yourself that you’re here to play a game,” McElhaney said.
The Beavers are 27-4, have won 12 of their last 13 games and were ranked No. 3 in the final DII coaches poll of the season. Just like Kings, the Beavers are in the final four for the first time.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ‘Red Sea’ watches Kings softball claim first-ever regional title
Reporting by Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
