HS Softball: West M walks it off against Meadowbrook
FALLS TOWNSHIP — It was a fitting end to a back-and-forth affair between West Muskingum and Meadowbrook on Monday.
The visiting Colts missed a chance to take the lead in the top of the seventh inning, but the Tornadoes capitalized on their opportunity in the home half.
Gracie Settles' hard-hit groundball led to a throwing error, allowing Addy Antonetz to score the game-winning run in a 6-5 walk-off victory in the Muskingum Valley League Small School Division contest.
Gabbi Hammer went 4-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored and Antonetz had three hits, including a double, and scored twice to highlight the West M offense.
Kadie Bare threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win in relief of starter Cadence Puckett, who scattered five runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and five walks in 5 1/3 innings.
West Muskingum coach Josh Bobo praised his group's resilience after overcoming a 3-0 deficit entering the bottom of the third.
"If you would have told me we had one of our seniors up with the winning run on base, I'd have taken that," Bobo said. "Both of these teams are young and talented so it's a huge for us to open league play with a win.
"Kadie did a great job coming on in relief, and our girls kept fighting," he added. "I anticipate a lot of games like this for us because this team isn't going to give up."
Despite the tough ending, Meadowbrook coach Sean Frizzell saw positives to build on, as his Colts have five games scheduled for the opening week.
"For us to come here and lose in the bottom of the seventh is tough, but we gave ourselves a chance against a good team," he said. "We have four freshmen in the lineup, and we'll work on more consistency at the plate. It was a new experience for some of our kids, but I'm not disappointed in how we battled.
"Once we quit making some of those mistakes, we'll be fine," he said. "We have five straight games, and we'll be seasoned veterans by the end of the week."
The Colts started strong, taking advantage of a hit batter, a walk and a passed ball to score twice in the first inning.
They pushed their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third when Taylor Sichina's two-out single brought home Addy Wiggins, but the Tornadoes answered with two runs in the bottom half, as Zoie Settles and Hammer each came home on a passed ball.
West M took a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Hammer belted a solo home run to left field with two outs, while Antonetz followed with a double and scored on Kate Foster's double.
Meadowbrook loaded the bases in the sixth. Laney Harper and Hailey Arnold led off with singles and after an out, Maddie May reached first on a sac bunt to fill the bases with Colts. Wiggins then ripped a two-run single down the left field line for a 5-4 lead.
However, Bare entered, notching a strikeout and inducing a popout to end the Meadowbrook threat, while West M responded in the bottom half. Gracie Settles led off with a single then courtesy runner Braelynn Murrey was able to come around on a Colts' throwing error.
Meadowbrook had a chance to take the lead in the seventh. Jordyn Vargeson drew a walk, stole second and moved to third on a passed ball. However, she was thrown out at home after Addy Sichina hit a ground ball to third.
Wiggins finished with three hits and Addy Sichina suffered the complete game loss, allowing six runs, two earned, on 10 hits with six strikeouts and four walks.
bhannahs@gannett.com; @brandonhannahs
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Walk-Off: West M softball outlasts Meadowbrook in opener
