MARGARETTA — Clear Fork coach Adam Brokaw is going to find the biggest role of bubble wrap he can and encase Miley Shafer with it.
At least until Friday night.
His junior pitcher is dealing with a plethora of injuries ranging from inflamed sacroiliac joints in her lower back and pelvis, hip flexors that are stretched to their absolute limit and a sprained ankle suffered one batter into the sectional championship game last week.
And yet, she pitched arguably the best game of the season in a 5-0 Division IV district semifinal win over No. 1 seed Oak Harbor on May 19 at Margaretta. Shafer allowed no runs on just four hits with one strikeout and one walk in a complete game masterpiece where she forced lazy pop flies and easy ground balls for the Colts’ defense to eat up error free.
“I am so comfortable with them behind me,” Shafer said. “My defense is amazing, and everyone knows exactly what they are capable of. They make it so I can keep my composure because every ball that is hit, they make those plays.”
On the long bus ride to Margaretta, Brokaw still didn’t know who was going to be his starting pitcher. With Shafer dealing with her multitude of injuries, he was leaning toward going with No. 2 pitcher Mariah Hatfield. It wasn’t until he handed his lineup card to the umpires during the pregame meeting where he gave the nod to Shafer.
“We had to wait to see how she warmed up,” Brokaw said. “Miley hasn’t played much over the last few weeks, so we knew they both had to be ready. The defense was solid behind her, and we got the shutout.”
Wincing in pain and even needing a back stretch between innings, Shafer needed just 80 pitches to displace Oak Harbor. There are several pitches in her repertoire that she cannot throw because of the strain on her back and hips, and she hasn’t swung a bat in nearly a month despite being one of the Colts’ best hitters.
It’s not easy to deal with, but Shafer did her best.
“All I am trying to do is overcome that,” Shafer said. “I rested a lot and iced so much. I had a few meltdowns because I wanted to come back so badly and I didn’t know if I could. My parents made sure I stayed right mentally, and (Clear Fork athletic trainer) Jamieson (Giefer) helped get me to the point I could pitch. Coach Adam (Brokaw) pumped me up and told me I was tough, so I went out and pitched with confidence because of them.”
The Colts gave Shafer the lead in the top of the first when Presley Lilly ripped an RBI single scoring Mya Perry for a 1-0 lead. They added three runs in the third when Millie Chamberlain recorded an RBI ground out before Hailly Thrush’s bunt turned into a fielder’s choice with an error to score two more. Lilly added her second RBI in the fifth to round out the scoring.
Braylee Wenger led the way with two hits while Jada Brokaw, Perry and Lilly had one apiece. Lilly had two RBIs, and Chamberlain and Thrush had one apiece.
And the defense recorded a 1.000 fielding percentage.
“When we aren’t making mental errors, we have one of the best defenses around,” Brokaw said. “We have athletes in the outfield who can cover ground with great arms and solid gloves in the infield. As long as we keep the ball in the ballpark, we feel like we have a chance.”
Brokaw caught some flak for going after the No. 1 seed Oak Harbor for a district semifinal matchup rather than taking an easier path to a district final and facing one of the top teams in Division IV in Bryan. The gamble paid off.
“We watched them on film for a few hours and knew they were a good team that had won a lot of games over the past couple of years in Division V,” Brokaw said. “My thought was, we weren’t just trying to get to a district title game. We felt like this path gave us a better chance to win a district championship. We will see where that takes us.”
Now, the Colts (22-7) will play the winner of No. 3 Lima Bath and No. 4 St. Marys Memorial at 5 p.m. on Friday back at Margaretta for the Division IV district championship.
“We were there last year and lost to Lexington that went to a state final four,” Brokaw said. “We know what to expect in a district championship game and should be ready to go. We will see which way we go with our pitching and set the tone early. If we can get three outs in the top of the first and score in the home half, I like our chances with the momentum.”
Shafer knows what it is going to take to win.
“We are going to take the next two days and practice extremely hard,” Shafer said. “We have a lot of confidence and belief right now. If we can keep our composure, we will be just fine.”
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Shafer bulldogs way through injuries, leads Colts to district final
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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