Green means go: Bulldogs softball loaded and looking at a state championship run
Want to know why Green’s softball team is off to a 7-0 start and seemingly untouchable to this point?
May 18, 2022.
The Bulldogs season ended that day in a wild district final.
Green dug itself a four-run deficit, stormed back to take the lead with a five-run fifth and then got walked off in a 6-5 loss to Fitch.
“That’s been the entirety of our season,” Bulldogs center fielder Kaylie Duskey said. “Our focus in on the Federal League and then we’ll get to the state championship. That’s the second time in a row we’ve lost the district championship. We’re not trying to do it again.”
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May 18, 2022.
Green hasn’t forgotten the RBI single by Sydnie Watts that tied things up for Fitch in the bottom of the sixth.
The Bulldogs haven’t forgotten the bases-loaded single by Ali Foley that ended their season in the seventh.
“I play every season like it's going to be my last,” Green pitcher Avery Robinson said. “There always could be an injury or something could happen, so it’s not something I take into consideration when I walk in.”
Green softball forges ahead with confidence in future
May 18, 2022.
As Robinson said, every day is a new day and what the Bulldogs remember most from their 2022 district final is that they did everything right to win that game.
Their approach at the plate was just like they wanted. They fought to the end like they wanted.
Fitch was just better on that day.
“They picked up where we left off,” Green coach Sarah Gerber said. “It's been really nice to build around not only our offseason, but last year.
“They set the bar really high in that Austintown game. Even though we didn't finish the way we wanted to, we finished really strong, and that's where they picked up. We didn't have to make up for lost time.”
The Bulldogs have an advantage with Brooke Heisroth, Marissa Redford, Ella Marochino, Grace Elliott, McKenzie Collinsworth, Kassidy Gorsuch, Mallory Gearhart, Kylie Gorsuch, Robinson and Duskey returning from last season.
Kylie Gorsuch is a second-team all-state catcher headed to Cleveland State. Robinson is a tough-as-nails pitcher ticketed for Notre Dame College in the fall.
“Our coach always says we get one percent better every practice,” Gorsuch said. “Having good teammates around you really helps you because this is it. This is my last season and our last season together. I know we all feel the same way.”
A week of winning shows just how good Green softball is
If there were any doubts, they ended swiftly when Green beat district champion Walsh Jesuit 4-3 Tuesday with Minnesota signee Natalie Susa in the circle.
On Wednesday, it was a 2-0 win over district runner-up Jackson with Purdue signee Julia Gossett pitching for the Polar Bears.
The Bulldogs are hitting .380 (90-for-236) collectively and Kylie Gorsuch accounts for five of their 10 home runs and 13 of their 65 RBIs.
Collinsworth leads the way with 14 RBIs. Robinson sports all seven wins and has a 1.37 ERA and has struck out 69.
What Green has most of all is confidence, especially after a week during which the Bulldogs knocked off perennial powerhouse Walsh and Federal League standout Jackson.
“I absolutely love playing in the Federal League,” Robinson said. “I think it's the best league ever and it gives you a ton of excitement and energy. It brings the best competition ever to play against and I want to play the best people I can.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Walkoff district final loss is fueling Green softball this season
