TOLEDO – The Fremont Ross softball team was hoping TRAC-championship contender Whitmer might overlook the Lady Giants Friday afternoon.
By the end of the first inning, however, it was clear Ross needed a new strategy.
Mekayla Logan
The Panthers took nothing for granted and proved why they’re one of the top teams in the league – and perhaps the state – in a 15-0 win over Ross.
“We saw every reason why they went to the Elite Eight last year,” Ross coach Tony Hill said. “They have eight starters back and their program is where we’re trying to be in three or four years. We’re very clearly not there yet.
“To them, it’s state title or bust.”
The Panthers jumped on the Lady Giants with six runs in the bottom of the first inning and continued to pile on runs, scoring three in each of the next three innings before the game was shortened to five innings.
The Lady Giants scattered five hits against Whitmer pitcher Amanda Combs, who finished the day allowing no walks with six strikeouts.
“Combs pitched even better than I expected,” Hill said. “She was Pitcher of the Year in the conference last year and she was way better tonight. She was one fire today. …Sometimes you just have to tip your cap.”
While Whitmer simply over-powered the Lady Giants, Hill said he saw plenty he liked about how his team played.
Claire Ochs
“I saw a ton of positives. We’ve gotten beat 15-0 before and I’ve never gotten on the bus with a smile on my face, but we had good things all over the field today,” he said. “We did have four errors, but we didn’t strike anybody out so, we had 32 chances and made just four errors, so like an .880 fielding percentage, which is still way higher than we had last year.
“Whitmer didn’t get any cheap hits, everything they got was a line drive off the bat. In years past, that score would have been a lot worse.
“It’s one of those days where you run into a buzzsaw and live to play another day.”
Freshman Mekayla Logan had a pair of hits for Ross while Kayla Rich, Braelyn Horn and Hailey Taylor each had singles as Ross’ record dipped to 2-2 overall, 0-1 in the TRAC. Defensively, Claire Ochs stole the show in left field.
“She doesn’t have a ton of varsity experience but every time I looked up she was right where she was supposed to be, going 100 miles an hour, stopping Whitmer from taking extra bases,” Hill said. “We joked about it today, if she keeps this up we’re going to need a statue in her name or name a hustle award after her. I can’t overstate how well she played today.”
Ross’ scheduled doubleheader Saturday against Woodmore has been cancelled due to frigid temperatures in the forecast. While Hill said he’d always like to get back on the field, he acknowledged the positive in not being interrupted in going from facing Combs in the circle to Notre Dame pitcher Caitlyn Kowalski on Monday.
“We hit Catie last year a bit, had some success against her, and played them very tough,” Hill said. “The second time we saw her, I think, it was 3-2 going into the seventh. I have a feeling we’ll be far more successful against Notre Dame than we were against Whitmer, whether that results in a win or not, I don’t know.”
2023 Girls Tennis Team
| Player Name | Grade |
|---|---|
| Avaya Bates | 11 |
| Alayjah Bulger | 09 |
| Addalyn Calhoun | 10 |
| Martina Cass | 12 |
| Bridgette Gooslin | 10 |
| Elayna Gray | 09 |
| Megan Hanes | 11 |
| Eva Harger | 09 |
| Isabella Harrison | 11 |
| Rebecca Jensen | 12 |
| Kayla Lewis | 11 |
| Liliana Rakay | 11 |
| Mariska Rakay | 11 |
| Molly Scott | 12 |
| Megan Sherman | 10 |
| Abigail Stachowiak | 10 |
| Shelby Steinberger | 09 |
| Jessica Thompson | 11 |
| Olivia Thompson | 10 |
| Emilee Whitcomb | 11 |