[Allsports#1]

Ashland 6 Russell 1



Aaron Snyder
The Independent



ASHLAND — The heavy rain brought out the heavy hitter.

As a shower picked up power, McKenzie Vanover put a jolt into a 2-2 pitch, smoking it well clear of the left-field fence and onto the road that runs behind Ashland Softball Complex.

Ashland poured on four more runs in the fifth to pull away for a 6-1 victory over Russell on Monday.

Vanover’s fourth-inning blast busted open a pitcher’s duel, halting a streak of 17 straight batters retired overall.

Ashland junior pitcher Megan Hensley tallied 16 strikeouts in the circle and helped her own cause at the plate with a three-run triple in the fifth. She also doubled in the rematch of the 2013 16th Region championship game, one that saw Ashland walk away five-time champions.

Russell senior righty Mallory Powell fanned seven consecutive Kittens before Vanover’s solo shot. The pitcher who no-hit Ashland during the regular season a year ago finished with 13 strikeouts and six hits allowed.

When Hensley and Powell face off, the hits typically number few and the strikeouts aplenty.

That was the case until the fourth frame, when Ashland took a more simplified approach.

"After the first (time through the lineup), I could tell we were being tentative," said Ashland coach Dave Miller, who added that his team was behind Powell's pitches initially. "I just told them to see the ball, hit the ball."

Russell shortstop Hannah Carter, who hit from the left side in her first two at-bats, answered Vanover's bomb with an RBI double to left center field from the right side to drive in Shelbie Watkins. Watkins had broken up Hensley's no-hitter with a bloop single. Carter's knock knotted it up at 1-1.

"We answered that one," said Russell coach Carol Stevens. "That was such a confidence builder."

Kittens right fielder Jordan Meade led off the bottom of the fifth with a single — one of her two hits. She advanced to second base and Sidney Campbell reached first on a fielder's choice play that resulted in an error. Sydney Whitt followed with a walk, and two batters later, Vanover returned to the dish with bases loaded with two outs.

Powell induced a soft liner off Vanover's bat, but the senior was ruled safe after Russell's first baseman stepped on the orange bag designated for the baserunner, causing a collision. No injuries occurred. Pinch-runner Madison Tabor scored on the play to give Ashland a 2-1 lead.

"That call was absolutely, positively, dead on," Miller said. "Mack had no opportunity to get to the base, so I'm glad they got that right."

"It's wet, so Sara (Hieneman) probably just slid across," Stevens said. "Fortunately, nobody was hurt, but it just knocked the air out of us."

Hensley then slammed a first-pitch, bases-clearing triple down the left-field line to put the Kittens up 5-1.

"That's the hallmark of good teams," Miller said. "You can't give (opponents) too many chances. If you do, they're going to hurt you … we put them away."

Hensley worked through early trouble with the help of a fine defensive play. She walked the first batter, and hit the next. Two fielder's choices followed, packing the bases with one out. After a strikeout looking, Cassie Fultz lined a rocket shot right at Kittens third baseman Carly Conley, who made the catch in front of her face.

"That was, I guess, catch it or die," Miller quipped. "That ball was smoked."

Two short rain delays stopped play for about 10 minutes apiece in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively.

Ashland (6-1) hosts Boyd County today at 5:30 p.m. Russell (7-4) hosts Fairland (Ohio) at the same time.