SHELBY – Sophomore Olivia Friley stressed one thing to her Colonel Crawford teammates ahead of their first district appearance since 2022.
“We had to play loose,” she said. “And we carried that throughout the whole game. We were just having fun in the dugout with little hats, we were just having fun today — that made the biggest difference.”
Friley was the driving force for the top-seeded Eagles in a convincing 9-3 win over four-seed New London in a Division VI district semifinal. She was 2-for-2 at the plate with four RBIs, three runs scored, a stolen base, and a walk.
“This one feels good,” Colonel Crawford coach Ethan Weithman said. “These seniors, they’ve never gotten this opportunity, so I’m super happy for those girls.”
And Friley had arguably the biggest play of the game offensively ripping a ball down the first base line that clipped off Gracie Thomas’ glove and into right foul territory for a stand up triple. This came right after New London scored a pair of runs to cut into the Eagles’ lead.
“She hasn’t pulled the ball much this year … but she got a heavier bat and now she’s pulling it,” Weithman said. “Whatever is working, I don’t care.
“She text me when she was buying a new bat and I replied — is that the one with all the hits in it? Make sure you get that one.”
Even Friley knew how big that play was at the time as it scored Brooklyn Vanderpool and sparked a three-run inning.
“That really shifted the momentum,” she said. “Then we had Adalyn (Bond) catch that double play.”
Bond had the defensive gem of the afternoon leaping as high as she could to snag a line drive over her head with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the sixth and flipped the ball to third for the second out. Next play Aubrey Betts gets Addison Yetter to ground out to first base.
“Adalyn has been tough at short all year long, I think she’s only had four errors all season,” Weithman said. “And that says a lot coming from the outfield to the infield … she deserves her second team all-district honors with the way she has played defensively for us all year.”
Painstakingly, it was the second double play the Wildcats hit into on the day with the first coming in the second inning.
“They turned two double plays on us at crucial times … you take those plays away and it’s a lot closer game,” New London coach Joe Thomas said. “We had a couple errors and that was really the difference in the game, and their great defense.
“I tip my hat to them, defensively they did a great job. Their pitcher is great, but we hit her.”
After being sat down in order on just six pitches in the first inning the Wildcats settled down and got a hit in the second. Natalie Weaver’s double to centerfield in the fourth scored Thomas and Pailee Wilson to make it 3-2 at the time, the closest this game would get; Wilson’s ground out to second scored Hailie Pylant in the fifth for New London’s final run.
“We came in knowing Colonel Crawford was a solid team with a great pitcher and really good hitters,” coach Thomas said. “I looked at some of their scores and thought we might really be in for it. But when we started hitting her and we really showed what we’re capable of.”
It marked the end of the road for the Wildcats (9-15) and the final game for Thomas, Wilson, Yetter, and Pylant.
“Maybe this season wasn’t what we wanted it to be,” coach Thomas said. “And even though we have four seniors, we’re young, we’re starting a couple freshmen. But these seniors probably mean more to me than a lot, my daughter is on the team and I’ve coached the other three since they’ve been in 8u, so it’s a really special group of girls for me. I’ve really enjoyed coaching them their whole lives, not just this season.”
Along with Friley’s monster performance, Bond was 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs, two runs, and two stolen bases, Kinley Hoepf and Arabella Stratton each had a pair of hits, Stratton and Vanderpool scored twice. Betts earned the win in the circle allowing seven hits, three runs, two earned, walked two, and struck out one despite taking a line drive to her throwing hand in the third inning.
“Her middle finger swelled up pretty good … but she was able to battle through it,” Weithman said. “She’s a workhorse and she has gotten so much better compared to last year. She worked so much over the summer and I can’t be happier for her.”
The Eagles now shift their focus to either fellow top-seed Ada or two-seed Carey whose game was postponed to Wednesday. They’ll meet back at Shelby High School on Thursday with a district championship and spot in regionals on the line.
“It’s the first time in a long time we’ve been able to play this,” Friley said. “We just have to play loose again and have fun.”
zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Friley’s bat, defensive gems power Colonel Crawford to district final
Reporting by Zachary Holden, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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