'I knew I had to suck it up': Colts win sectional title over Ontario behind four-run fifth inning

ONTARIO — When Pacey Chrastina stepped to the plate in the top of the fifth inning of Clear Fork's Division II sectional championship game against Ontario, she had no idea what the score was.

After playing defense in the fourth, Chrastina went directly behind the dugout and called for a trainer. She felt a sharp pain in her hip and knew something wasn't right. So, she laid down on the grass and performed different stretches to see if she could relieve the pain.

Meanwhile, her teammates went to work — and didn't stop until the Colts had secured the sectional championship with a 4-3 victory.

Down 3-0, the Colts erased the deficit thanks to some aggressive base-running. Power-hitter Tate Swihart laid down a surprise bunt that allowed Alyssa Swank to score all the way from second to get the Colts on the board.

"She is probably the one player in my lineup who I have 100% confidence in to get a bunt down," Clear Fork coach Chris Clapper said. "I called a bunt and run and scored that run from second base, and I knew Tate was going to get the bunt down, but the other part I wasn't sure of, but we took a chance and it paid off."

A batter later, Renee Anders ripped a two-RBI double to left-center to tie the score 3-3. The Clear Fork faithful was going wild and Chrastina remained on the grass trying to work out her hip pain and had no idea what was happening. But she was due up to the plate and her team needed her. So, she got up, put on a helmet, grabbed a bat and ripped an RBI double to score Anders and cap a four-run fifth inning that put the Colts ahead for the first time.

They never trailed again.

Even though Chrastina had no clue the score was tied until she stepped in the box and looked at the scoreboard, she knew she needed to come through with a hit.

"I went back there to stretch and hopefully get this pain worked out and I could hear everyone cheering but I had no idea what was going on," Chrastina said. "When I got up to bat, I saw we were tied and I knew I had to play through the pain because it is tournament time and every out matters. I knew I had to suck it up and play."

Later, Chrastina gobbled up a ground ball and made a perfect throw to first for the final out of the game as she gutted out the injury and helped her team win.

Clapper knew how much pain she was in, and her performance proved her value to the squad.

"She is so important to this team," Clapper said. "We had a conversation last week about how she is a quiet kid, but I asked her to be a leader on this team — not just through performance, but in every way a leader can be. Her hit through that energy proved she can be our leader of the future. I was really close to taking her out of the game. I am sure glad I didn't."

Clear Fork advanced to play No. 2 seed Bellevue, which beat Shelby 1-0 in 10 innings Friday, in a district semifinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Willard.

The Colts have all of the momentum in the world, and Clapper hopes they can keep it going.

"I think it can take us as far as the girls allow it to," Clapper said. "We saw something special in this game after getting down a few runs early and the energy died off a bit before they picked it up. Six of our seven losses have been by run rule because we give up a few runs in the first couple of innings and nothing goes right the rest of the way. Tonight, we flipped the script on that trend."

Clear Fork and Bellevue square off in Game 2 of the evening at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Willard.

Ontario came out of the gate quickly, scoring one run in each of the first three innings. Autumn Taylor delivered a sacrifice fly to right in the first inning before Eden Howard added an RBI single in the second and Taylor recorded her second RBI of the game in the third to make it 3-0 Warriors.

"That was a hard draw," Ontario coach Sean Snow said. "Clear Fork beat us two out of three, but this was a game between two very evenly matched teams. Credit to Clear Fork. We quit hitting because I think we got comfortable with a three-run lead just three innings into the game.

"With our team so young, we have to mature and realize we cannot stop playing hard. We got away from a lot of things we did well."

The Colts and Warriors split their season series against each other. Ontario blasted the Colts 12-1 on April 12 before Clear Fork returned the favor with a 10-0 win behind Astynn Roberts' no-hitter. So, coming into the sectional championship matchup, anything was possible.

"I expected it to be a great game because Ontario is so tough," Chrastina said. "They beat us pretty good and then we turned around and beat them pretty good so it was honestly a flip of a coin coming into today. We knew we had to play hard and I think we did that."

Clapper said it was the regular-season win more than the loss that helped the Colts win on Friday.

"I feel like we learned a lot from both of our games against them, but the win was the game we took the most from the win because it gave us some confidence and told us we could beat them," Clapper said.

Swihart had a big game with three hits for the Colts while Trinity Cook, Anders, Chrastina, Katrina Rogers and Alyssa Swank had one hit apiece. Anders had two RBIs, including one that tied the score, while Chrastina had one.

"In my mind, it just felt like slow motion," Anders said. "Every pitch was coming in slow and I knew I had to come in and do what I needed to do."

Roberts had a bulldog-type performance in the circle, allowing just three runs on 12 hits with seven strikeouts and didn't allow a single run after the third.

Clear Fork (14-7) has won 11 of its last 13 games and is one of the hottest teams in the tournament. Anders credits a team-first mentality.

"We are playing as a team lately," Anders said. "We have so much confidence in each other now. It feels really good because all of our hard work is paying off."

Clapper said the Colts have adopted an underdog mentality.

"I told the ladies that a lot of people counted us out this season because we have a new coach, and I am not a hall of fame coach so no one really expected anything from us," Clapper said. "It upset me and it should upset them and we needed to go out and prove people wrong, and I think we have."

Ontario (12-6) received two hits apiece from Trista Jewell, Joslynne Frazier and Kylie Snow while Howard, Taylor and Alex Switaj each had one hit. Taylor had two RBIs while Howard had one.

The Warriors completed the season as the 2022 Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference champions, the first league title in 22 years, so it is hard to call the year anything but a success. Plus, they only lose one senior, Julia Oblisk, who was out the entire season with an elbow injury, and bring back one of the best players in the area in Taylor Mullins, who missed the year with an ACL injury.

So, expectations are extremely high for next season.

"I am not disappointed," Snow said. "I am bummed, but we are going to come back next year a veteran team with a vengeance. The experience the girls have had this season was tremendous. They play together as a team and don't argue at all. They are one unit and know when not to give up. That is going to serve us well next year.

"Expectations will be huge. These girls will play all summer and start up our offseason stuff in December and I am very excited about what we can do next season."

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Colts win sectional title, will play Bellevue in district semifinals