XENIA – It was typical East Clinton softball Monday afternoon in the Dayton 1 Sectional championship game at Xenia High School.
The Lady Astros played solid defense, had good pitching and pressured Brookville with a relentless offense.
The result was a 5-3 win and sectional championship for the Lady Astros.
East Clinton, 13-7 on the year, will play SBAAC National Division rival and defending state champion Williamsburg for a Southwest District championship 5 p.m. Friday at Hamilton High School.
Williamsburg defeated East Clinton twice during the regular season in close games, 4-2 and 9-0.
Sierra Christian had a strong game in the circle for EC. Though she struck out only one, Christian was sharp with her pitches and walked just one while scattering eight hits.
When Brookville did make contact, the East Clinton defense was up to the task. Christian and the EC defense stranded the bases loaded in the seventh inning while clinging to a two-run lead.
In all, Brookville left nine runners on base.
On offense, EC struck out eight times and did not walk but banged out 11 hits, including three each by Taylor Boeckmann and Jericka Boggs.
Mackenzie Campbell drove in the first two EC runs and Kayla Hall added another for a 3-0 lead in the fifth.
Brookville made it 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth but Boeckmann drove in Marah Dunn in the sixth to make it 4-2. EC went up 5-2 on Alyssa Stoops RBI.
In the bottom of the seventh, Brookville scored a run but left three runners on as Christian induced a game-ending infield popout.
SUMMARY
May 14 2018
Div III Sectional championship
@Xenia High School
East Clinton 5 Brookville 3
EC 100-021-1…..5
BR 000-020-1…..3
(5) EAST CLINTON (ab-r-h-rbi) Boeckmann 5-2-3-1 Smith 3-1-0-0 Campbell 3-0-2-2 Hall 3-0-0-1 Boggs 4-1-3-0 Durbin 4-0-0-0 Dunn 4-1-1-0 Cooper 0-0-0-0 Stoops 4-0-2-1 Christian 0-0-0-0.
(3) BROOKVILLE (ab-r-h-rbi) Gardner 3-1-2-0 Jeffries 4-2-2-0 J. Brown 4-0-1-1 Hamiel 4-0-1-1 Lensee 4-0-1-0 L. Gardner 4-0-0-0 Burton 4-0-0-0 Heck 3-0-1-0 H. Brown 3-0-0-0 Stevenson 0-0-0-0.
2B: EC-Boeckmann, Boggs; B-Jeffries, Heck
PITCHING IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO
East Clinton
Christian (W) 7-8-3-1-1-1
Brookville
Stevenson (L) 7-11-5-4-0-8
