The Westerville Central softball team will be one of the last two teams standing statewide when it plays for the Division II state championship June 7.
A five-run second inning June 6 powered the Warhawks to a 7-0 win over Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit at Firestone Stadium in Akron, sending Central into its first final.
Central (28-2) will try to win its first championship and end the season on a 22-game winning streak when it faces Kings Mills Kings at 4 p.m. June 7.
Kings beat defending champion Painesville Riverside 7-1 in the first semifinal.
The Warhawks had just four hits but capitalized on four Walsh Jesuit (23-2) errors and did not leave any runners on base.
Senior third baseman Hannah Pullins had two hits to lead Central. Sophomore outfielder Christelle Crosier started the scoring in the first inning with her team-leading 10th home run.
“It kickstarted the game,” Crosier told reporters after the game. “We had two outs and then I came up and I hit it and it just boosted us from there.”
Sophomore outfielders Jane LeMasters and Haley Hickok walked to start the second. LeMasters scored on sophomore designated player Lydia Miller’s RBI single, and senior catcher Jess Hickok reached on an error on strike 3 to load the bases.
Pullins then hit a two-run single to right-center field to plate Haley Hickok and Miller, and Jess Hickok and Pullins came in on errors to make it 6-0.
Pullins finished the scoring in the fifth when she led off with a single, stole second, stole third and came home on a throwing error from Walsh Jesuit’s catcher.
“We honestly weren’t overly worried,” Pullins said. “We know they are a good team but we knew a lot about them so we knew what we were going to see. We need to figure that out for [June 7].”
Warhawks sophomore pitcher Elliott Long made it stand, striking out nine without a walk and scattering four hits.
Central has not lost since an April 9 game against OCC-Ohio rival and eventual Division I regional runner-up Gahanna Lincoln.
The Warhawks ended Walsh Jesuit’s 23-game winning streak dating to its season opener March 21 against Pittsburgh Baldwin.
The Division II final will be the last game played in the five-day state tournament, and Central will be the eighth central Ohio team to go for a title.
Hilliard Bradley defeated Lancaster 7-5 in the Division I final June 4, and immediately after that Danville beat West Jefferson 2-0 in nine innings in Division VI.
Bloom-Carroll played Louisville later June 6 for the Division III title, and Licking Valley (Division IV) and Liberty Union (Division V) will play in their respective finals June 7 before the Division II game.
“[We have to] just keep doing what we’re doing,” Long said. “It’s working. Trusting each other at every moment [is key].
“We’ve made it this far. Let’s enjoy the moment.”
(This story has been updated to add a gallery, photos and quotes.)
High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Westerville Central softball rolls into OHSAA Division II state final
Reporting by Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
