Johnstown's hopes of an OHSAA district softball repeat ended by Fredericktown's first

Kurt Snyder, Newark Advocate
·3 min read

PICKERINGTON — When Addie Triplett drove a pitch over the fence in right-center Saturday, it appeared the Johnstown softball team was destined for another postseason victory.

Instead, the magic was in Fredericktown’s bag Saturday. The No. 7 Freddies continued their history-making run, beating the No. 3 Johnnies 5-2 in a Division III district final at Pickerington Central.

Triplett’s two-run home run in the fourth inning pulled Johnstown (17-7) even at 2. The Freddies (18-10-1), however, took advantage of a wild pitch and an error to score three game-breaking runs in the top of the fifth inning to win their program’s first championship and deny the Johnnies a repeat.

"The further you get in the tournament, those kinds of plays tend to haunt you," Johnstown coach Wayne Rivard said. "I am super proud of this group. They just kept working and chipping away."

Johnstown finished 12-11 in 2019 and appeared ready to jump into district contention with young talent on the way. That plan had to wait a year, but the Johnnies did not miss their moment.

Johnstown junior pitcher Macy Walters throws to sophomore first baseman Emily Yanczura in an attempt to retire Fredericktown sophomore Trinity Garretson during a Division III district final at Pickerington Central on Saturday, May 20, 2022. The Johnnies fell 5-2 to the Freddies.
Johnstown junior pitcher Macy Walters throws to sophomore first baseman Emily Yanczura in an attempt to retire Fredericktown sophomore Trinity Garretson during a Division III district final at Pickerington Central on Saturday, May 20, 2022. The Johnnies fell 5-2 to the Freddies.

Johnstown reached the state tournament under coach Amber Walton last season and reloaded this season. The breaks, however, did not go their way Saturday.

"I didn't know what to expect going into high school," Triplett said. "After our year got canceled because of Covid, we really just put in the work, and we knew, 'Wow! We can do this.' After last year, we knew we could do this."

Triplett's home run Saturday and a sparkling defensive play at short when she made a throw across the diamond from her knees followed a home run and an RBI single in a 3-1 victory against state-ranked North Union on Tuesday.

Junior Macy Walters was not as sharp Saturday as when she struck out 15 on Tuesday, but she did strike out 11 Freddies, allowing just six hits and two earned runs.

"Honestly, it was a big honor," said Bailey Williams, the Johnnies' lone senior. "Nobody really expected us to do it last year, so it was nice to be an underdog and make people know who Johnstown is."

Lainy Partington had a hit and scored twice, and Taylor Brown, Jess Montavlo and Emma Hatfield each had a hit and a run scored for the balanced Freddies.

Juniors Laney Zak and Dakota Staffan and sophomore Makayla Fain also each had single hits for the Johnnies against Fredericktown's Miranda Payne. Sophomore Ava Peterman and freshman Peyton Mischel each had pinch-hit at-bats for the Johnnies in the seventh, giving a glimpse of a bright future.

"It's really nice to leave with that," Williams said. "They are going to be a strong core again next year and will keep building off of that."

Triplett, however, was not quite ready to close the book on 2022 yet. She noted graduating just one does not make the hole to fill any smaller.

"Bailey definitely brings the energy," Triplett said. "She is going to be a big loss for us next year. She is always cheering, always up. It's definitely going to be hard to replace her. I am sad we couldn't get it done for her but proud of us for pushing through and fighting through the end."

ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com

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Twitter: @newarkurt

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Johnstown's hopes of an OHSAA district repeat ended by Fredericktown