WILLIAMSBURG — After going up and down in order through six innings, Wilmington scratched its way to a 1-0 win over state-ranked Williamsburg Thursday in a non-conference softball game in Clermont County.
Wilmington is 11-8 on the year. Williamsburg is 19-1. The Wildcats were the Div. IV No. 7 team in the statewide Ohio Softball Coaches Association poll this week.
“I know what we’re capable of it more of what we did today,” Wilmington coach Glen Blessing said. “They never cowered away. It’s a huge shot of confidence.”
The win for the Lady Hurricane came despite 19 strikeouts by the Lady Wildcats left-hander hammer on the mound Carly Wagers.
“She’s an imposing figure on the mound,” Blessing said.
Prior to this loss, the closest game for Williamsburg this season was a 5-3 win over Amelia.
And through six innings it looked like Wilmington would never score against Wagers, who had struck out 15 through six. Olivia Veidt was matching Wagers with a less dominant but equally effective pitching effort. Veidt gave up just three hits and struck out five in the game.
“Olivia really battled and kept her composure on the mound,” Blessing said. “They are a very good team with good bats one through nine.”
In the Wilmington seventh, Hunter Toller became the first player to reach base with a single. She went to second but was stranded.
“We were making progress,” Blessing said of his squad’s offense. “With each inning, with each at-bat, the girls at-bats improved, for the most part. They went a little deeper in the count. There were more foul balls than swings and misses.”
In the eighth, Kendra McKenna walked and went to second on Sophie Blessing’s sacrifice bunt. Kacy Younker then singled to right and McKenna raced home with the only run of the game.
Williamsburg threatened in both the seventh (runner on third) and eighth (runner on second) innings but Veidt and the WHS defense held strong.
“Our defense played great and really had Olivia’s back,” said Blessing. “They made the plays that they needed to make to keep this game close.”
SUMMARY
April 27, 2017
@Williamsburg High School
Wilmington 1 Williamsburg 0
WLM 000.000.01…..1-2-1
WBG 000.000.00…..0-3-0
(1) WILMINGTON (ab-r-h-rbi) Toller 3-0-1-0 Self 3-0-0-0 Veidt 3-0-0-0 Smart 3-0-0-0 McKenna 2-1-0-0 Blessing 2-0-0-0 Younker 3-0-1-1 Flint 3-0-0-0 Hardin 3-0-0-0.
(0) WILLIAMSBURG (ab-r-h-rbi) Fisher 3-0-1-0 Smith 3-0-0-0 Wagers 3-0-1-0 Clark 3-0-0-0 Bailey 3-0-0-0 Middendorf 1-0-0-0 Kirschner 2-0-0-0 Jeffers 3-0-1-0 Rohne 2-0-0-0 Steinhauer 1-0-0-0 Golden 3-0-0-0.
2B: WB-Jeffers
PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so)
Wilmington
Veidt (W) 8-3-0-0-0-5
Williamsburg
Wagers (L) 8-2-1-1-1-19
