Diamond hasn't lost its shine for Norton after an unforgettable 2022 softball season
There were tears, but not as many as you’d think after Oak Harbor knocked Norton out of the postseason with a 6-0 win on Tuesday.
It came at New Riegel High School in a Division II regional semifinal but didn’t tarnish an incredible season for the Panthers (20-9).
The Rockets (23-8) moved on to play Lexington (22-4) on Friday. Norton will come back more determined next season to do it all over again.
“This has been so amazing,” pitcher Chloe Bird said. “It’s been such a fun experience. On the bus ride here, we were excited to play this game. I wouldn’t want it to end any other way other than winning.”
Late postseason runs are starting to become the norm at Norton.
Last season, the Panthers lost to Revere in a district final.
This season, Norton erased a 21-year drought when it knocked off reigning state champ LaGrange Keystone to win a district title.
That’s just how it’s done at 1 Panther Way in Norton.
“I think we’ll be even more determined next year,” Panthers shortstop Bailey Acord said. “We know how it feels after getting so much farther than we did last year. It means a lot to be here.
"I know a lot of us really wanted to be here. It sucks that it has to come to an end. We all have to work even harder and push ourselves to be better next year.”
The tough part will come in replacing Bird, who won 20 games in the circle this season, and pitched in the last two district finals and in Tuesday’s regional semifinal.
Saying goodbye to Norton standouts
Third baseman Avery Morr, who had a hand in eight of the 18 Oak Harbor outs, will surely be missed as both seniors will move on to play in college.
For Bird, it will be at Concord University. For Morr, it’s a future on the field at Hunter College In New York City.
That’s it. That’s all that leaves the program.
Left fielder Fallon Donley is the probable replacement for Bird in the circle.
Norton will return a team that includes three batters who hit over .450 in Acord, Donley and Ashley Schreiber.
“This season has meant a lot,” Donley said. “From the start, we were so close and we drew closer as the season went on. This game means a lot to us. We wish we would have won. There’s little things we learn from it for next season.
“I’m very proud of the girls. Honestly, I don’t think any of us thought we were going to get this far. This only sets the bar higher for next year because now we know what we’re capable of. A lot of the girls are coming back. We’ll work harder and come back stronger.”
A very special season and better future
If anyone knows how special the season was, it’s right fielder Nikki Cowx.
A junior, Cowx was sidelined with a concussion and could have shut it down and looked toward summer ball, but she kept showing up for physical therapy and kept working hard to get back on the field.
She finally laced them up again for the Panthers two weeks ago.
“I was so eager to get back,” she said. “I saw how good the girls were doing. They were doing great without me, but I hoped I could help them along. I was doing everything I could to get back sooner because I missed playing the game.
“I’m so ecstatic that I came back. I was glad I was able to play with my friends again. Chloe and Avery are some of my best friends. They’re going to be a big loss next year. I don’t know if their shoes will be filled, but I wanted to play with them one last time.”
Now, it’s just a matter of getting back and taking the step the entire program wants.
“We saw, ‘Hey, we can be very good,’” Norton coach Dick Castilow said. “That’s the attitude we took into the Keystone game and that’s the attitude we took coming into this game. I’m very proud of them. Anytime you go deep into the tournament that will help with how you look at yourself down the road.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Norton loses in regional softball semifinal to Oak Harbor
