MASSILLON — It pays to go with your instincts. That’s something Jackson softball coach Adam Parker proved with the game on the line in a Division I district final against Medina on Friday, May 22, at Massillon Washington High School.
With the bases loaded and Jackson on the verge of completing an incredible comeback, Parker elected to let freshman Kendall Adams bat. Adams rewarded Parker by crushing a walk-off grand slam on a 3-2 pitch to give the Polar Bears a 14-11 win over the Bees.
Jackson advanced to play Mentor in a regional semifinal at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, in Avon Lake.
“I briefly thought about pinch hitting because we had Addy Essig and Avery Wile available,” Parker said. “Avery hit one foul in a pervious at-bat that cleared the fence and nearly cleared the stadium, so that was on my mind.
“I couldn’t bring myself to do it, though. Kendall has been like a rock for us all season and she has produced in every big situation she has been in. I felt like she deserved the opportunity.”
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Adams showed maturity beyond her years on the way to repaying the faith her coach placed in her. She seemingly tied the score on a walk on the pitch just before her grand slam. A late strike call forced Adams back into the batters box with a full count as she was a quarter of the way down the first-base line.
But Adams was not discouraged and calmly sent the next pitch over the wall for a grand slam.
“That’s the kind of moment I’ve dreamed about having since I was a kid,” Adams said. “It was a very surreal moment. It felt like a dream at first. It’s something I felt like I was capable of doing, but to have it actually happen was crazy.”
It’s a comeback and a district title that looked far from certain going to the bottom half of the seventh inning. Medina had built an 11-6 lead and looked to be cruising toward a win.
Jackson started the inning with a pop up to right field before magic started to happen. Mackenzie Johnson worked a walk. Olivia Veno singled to left field. Abby Seders followed that with another single to score a run. Medina got a fly out to left field for the second out. Kenna Blackstock was then hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Polar Bears.
Remi Grooms drew a walk with the bases loaded to score a run. Gabbi Williamson drew a walk to score another run. Kylie Kristoff hit a grounder to the shortstop but a fielding error allowed a run to score and kept the inning alive. Adams followed with the grand slam to win it.
“We told the kids going into the inning to just stay in it,” Parker said. “We told the kids we needed runners, and they found ways to get on base. From there, we just started trying to put as much speed on the bags as we could. We knew a lot would have to happen for us but we never feel like we are out of the game. Everyone in the lineup can hit the ball.”
Jackson used three pitchers Friday and, ironically, it was Adams (2-0) who ended up picking up the win for the Polar Bears after pitching the seventh inning. She chalked up the miraculous comeback to just being part of the culture Parker has built at Jackson.
“Everybody is so close-knit here,” Adams said. “We always keep the energy level up and stay positive no matter what the score is. That culture is a big part of what allows moments like this to happen. We’re all best friends, and this team truly feels like a family.”
The home run by Adams was the fourth of the day for Jackson. Grooms, Johnson and Madi Veno also hit home runs for the Polar Bears.
Overall for Jackson, Johnson was 3-for-3 with two doubles and three runs scored. Williamson was 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Seders was 3-for-4 with three singles and two RBIs.
Medina was no slouch offensively itself. The Bees got home runs from Bailey McCoy and Brooke Housum. Housom hit a three-run blast in the seventh that looked as though it might have sealed a win for the Bees.
Housum, also a freshman, pitched a complete game for Medina.
“I’m really proud of the kids,” Medina coach Eric Mizner said. “I’m not sure how they expected to do coming into this game, but they came in and fought and did a great job hitting the ball. To have a freshman come out and throw 130 pitches for us and pitch a complete game showed an unbelievable amount of heart.
“The outcome hurts. It’s tough to fall short, but I’m just so proud of this team and our six seniors.”
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kendall Adams’ walk-off grand slam lifts Jackson softball to district title
Reporting by Cliff Hickman, Canton Repository / The Repository
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