Bearcats claw way to victory
CLAYSVILLE – It’s easy for an opposing team to walk on the softball field at McGuffey Community Park and get excited looking at the auxiliary fence that’s only 180 feet from home plate down the line, but it certainly wasn’t a welcome sight for Bentworth.
Unlike McGuffey’s power-hitting lineup, the Bearcats use speed, timely hitting and defense to ruin an opponent’s day.
Instead of trying to beat McGuffey at its own game, Bentworth used its strengths and senior pitcher Casey Hite kept the Highlanders off balance to help the Bearcats earn a 6-4 win in a Section 2-AA game Tuesday.
McGuffey (10-1, 12-1), which sits in first place, suffered its first loss of the season, but remains two games ahead of Bentworth (8-3, 11-4) in the standings. The Bearcats lost to the Highlanders, 10-2, last month.
“It’s a big win for us. That should show them that no matter who we play, they can stay in the game and keep it competitive,” Bentworth head coach Jack Cramer said. “You live and die with your pitcher. Casey isn’t the fastest pitcher you’ll see, but she has good command of her pitches and our defense made plays.”
Command is pivotal against McGuffey, which entered the day with 11 home runs and averaged more than eight runs per game at home. Hite peppered the outside corner with drop curveballs and fastballs while mixing in inside pitches.
Hite’s teammates gave her a quick lead in the first inning when senior center fielder Aubree Yates led off the game with a single and stole second base. Senior second baseman Micaela Danley followed with a single to right field for the 1-0 lead.
The Bearcats added two more runs in the second on RBI singles by Yates and Danley before the bottom half of McGuffey’s batting order got to Hite. But unlike the last meeting when she allowed 10 runs, Hite worked out of it.
“I learned last time that they can hit the ball and I can’t give them anything to hit, that’s for sure,” Hite said. “It’s awesome knowing I can throw it to where they’re going to hit and my defense is behind me.”
McGuffey senior catcher Carae Wagner led off the second inning with a single and freshman Emily Vinski grounded into a fielder’s choice before Balicia Hambleton hit a one-out double. Hite got a strikeout, but McGuffey senior first baseman Rachel Kleinhans, who was 2-for-3 with three RBI, hit a two-run single to make it 3-2.
Kleinhans would deliver an RBI double in the sixth and freshman shortstop Brin Hunter added an RBI single, but those were the only timely hits for the Highlanders. They stranded 11 baserunners, including eight in the final three innings. McGuffey had the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh innings but Hite’s defense helped Bentworth escape.
“We put girls on base, but we didn’t get that clutch hit we’ve been getting all year,” McGuffey head coach Jason Kern said. “Give Bentworth credit. Casey pitched a heck of a game today. She kept our hitters off balance. I thought we started getting to her a little at the end, but we were just too far behind to catch up.”
Hite helped her cause. After McGuffey cut the Bearcats’ lead to one run in the second, Hite delivered a solo home run over the fence in right-centerfield in the third inning. The Highlanders had runners on first and second with no outs in the fourth, but Hite got three consecutive outs.
McGuffey also had runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth when Hite got Wagner to ground out to end the inning.
Bentworth added two insurance runs in the sixth when junior right fielder Autumn Zgorliski delivered a one-out double and scored on an RBI double by junior catcher Chase Watson to make it 5-2. The Bearcats added another run when Savanah Adams’ groundball scored Morgan Hawley from third.
“We feel that we have a good team,” Cramer said. “We’re defensively sound and even though these guys are small, they have power and they’re quick. I always stress that you win with defense. To hold them in the park is a good thing here.”
McGuffey got two runs in the sixth and had the bases loaded with two outs, but Hite got Highlanders senior pitcher Moriah McGuier to line out to end the threat. McGuffey had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh when Hite got a key six-pitch strikeout.
She intentionally walked Kleinhans before getting a ground out to end the game. Though McGuffey had 12 hits, Hite got four strikeouts and the Highlanders committed three errors.
“This gives us immense confidence because we’ve never beat them before,” Hite said. “I feel like we can do anything now and go far in the playoffs.”