CASTALIA — As soon as the Clear Fork Colts stepped off the bus for their OHSAA Division IV district championship game against Lima Bath, they wanted to set the tone.
It didn’t take them long.
All the Colts needed was one inning to do all the damage they needed to do to win the first softball district championship since 2017 with a 19-2 victory Friday, May 22. The Colts scored 16 runs in the first inning to set the tone in a major way and put it in cruise control the rest of the way in the run-rule victory.
That first-inning outburst was something super sophomore Presley Lilly had never been a part of in her softball life.
“Maybe like 10 or 12, but never 16,” Lilly said. “I have never had three at-bats in one inning. That was insane. I was just going up thinking base hit, find a way to score runs because that is the most important thing in softball.”
Lilly led the Colts with two hits and four RBIs while Chloe Steward added two hits and three RBIs. Hailly Thrush had a hit and three RBIs with a home run, Kylie Ludwig had a hit and two RBIs, Braylee Wenger had two hits and an RBI, Jada Brokaw and Karlynn Mortimer had a hit and an RBI apiece and Mya Perry rounded out the offense with one hit. Nearly all of their damage came in the first inning as they batted around three times.
“I think a lot had to do with our energy right out of the gate,” Thrush said. “We were confident, but we were focused on doing the things we had to do to get base hits and be smart base runners.”
The Colts were fresh after beating Oak Harbor on May 19 in the district semifinal while Bath kept having its semifinal game pushed back before finally being able to play May 21 in an eight-inning game the night before having to play the Colts in a district title game.
Clear Fork coach Adam Brokaw was glad to see his Colts take advantage of Bath’s fatigue.
“We knew Bath had trouble getting their district semifinal game in this week and it just kept getting pushed back more and more,” Brokaw said. “Their pitcher threw 110 pitches, and that is tough to come back and pitch again the next day. I thought if we could get on base, we could do some things situationally, but I never expected that many runs. That was huge. I was hoping for a couple in the first inning. I didn’t see that coming.”
The win over Oak Harbor was a huge momentum boost especially because the Colts could take the experience of playing for a district championship last season into this year’s game.
“We played in a district title game last year and lost to a team that had a sensational pitcher and ended up going to state,” Brokaw said. “We just couldn’t get over that hump the past handful of years. We felt that district semifinal against Oak Harbor was the title game, and I am thrilled to get out of here with a win.”
Miley Shafer earned the win in the circle, allowing two unearned runs on three hits with a strikeout in four innings of work. She was able to pitch with a comfort level she never experienced before with a 16-run cushion after the first inning. All of the Colts played a little more freely after the hit start.
“Needless to say, that made us relax,” Thrush said. “We could play with confidence and have a little fun. We knew if we allowed a run or two it wouldn’t hurt and that is a huge advantage in a game like this.”
Thrush set the tone very early with a two-run home run in the first inning to build a quick 5-0 lead. It was her second home run of the season, one in which she has expressed a lot of frustration at the plate because she wasn’t performing up to her standards. All of that frustration was let out on the softball with one swing.
“Yeah, that felt really great,” Thrush said. “I have been working so much the last couple of weeks with my dad on my mechanics and I really took that at-bat to focus on doing the things we worked on with my swing. It paid off.”
The district title is the ninth in program history, joining teams from 1979, 1980, 1985, 2001, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2017.
“It feels like a huge accomplishment,” Thrush said. “We worked so hard for three years for this and it is a relief to know this is something we can accomplish. This is where we expect to be.”
The Colts (23-7) have now set an expectation to follow up on for the next few years.
“It is so special,” Lilly said. “There is nothing like it. Being with these girls with this kind of chemistry is an amazing experience. I have so much fun and to have a district championship my sophomore year with a team that has no seniors and a bright future in the coming years is even more special.”
The Colts move on to play undefeated Bryan (21-0) at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27 at Clyde High School.
“We know they are undefeated and have a Division I caliber pitcher,” Brokaw said. “We have to limit our strikeouts and make sure we put the ball in play and try to make things happen. We know what we have in front of us and we will go out and try to do something special again.”
The Colts are looking for their first regional championship since 2011.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Clear Fork softball scores 16 in the first, wins first district title since 2017
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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