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ASHLAND — The Madison Rams are headed back to the Division III regional championship thanks to a 7-0 win over Richland County rival Ontario Warriors on May 27 at Ashland University.
Madison got the scoring started with a run in the top of the third. Izzy Wamsley got on base with a one-out single to left field before stealing second. Caliyah Clapper stepped up with two outs and ripped an RBI single to center to score Wamsley, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead.
The Rams added three more in the top of the fourth, all with two outs. Makena Berkshire started things off with a single to right before Sophie Lowe and Aver O’Brien drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Wamsley, who also drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk to plate Berkshire. Lexi Lewis then had biggest hit of the game with a two-strike, two-run single to right field to give the Rams a solid 4-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Madison scored three more in the fifth to blow the game wide open. Allie Shrader got things going with a one-out single before Chloe Jeffers ripped an RBI double to center, and Berkshire followed up with an RBI single to center to make it 6-0. After an Ontario error kept the inning alive, Avery O’Brien laid down a perfect safety squeeze, scoring pinch-runner Abbey McWilliams for the game’s final run.
Clapper only needed a one-run cushion as she was absolutely dominant in the circle, allowing just two hits with 11 strikeouts in a complete-game masterpiece.
Wamsley, Clapper and Berkshire led the Rams with two hits apiece while Lewis, Shrader and Jeffers had one apiece. Lewis collected two RBIs while Wamsley, Clapper, Jeffers, O’Brien and Berkshire each drove in a run.
Ellie Dawson and Lillian Gray had one hit apiece for Ontario. The Warriors end the season with a 22-7 record.
Madison improves to 15-14 and takes on Uniontown Lake (19-7) at 5 p.m. Friday, May 29, at Ashland University’s Deb Miller Field for the Division III regional championship. Lake beat Chardon 8-6 in the other semifinal game.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison headed back to regional championship for 2nd straight season
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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