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Lakewood softball rides second wind past Highland, into district final

kurt snyder, newark advocate
·4 min read

LEWIS CENTER — The Lakewood softball team has hit a reset button, and Monday showed the Lancers are as dangerous as ever.

No. 6 Lakewood (15-10) scored in five of seven innings, using a relentless mentality to beat No. 4 Highland (18-5) 8-2 in a Division II district semifinal at Olentangy. The Lancers play No. 1 Jonathan Alder (22-1) in a rematch of last year's district final won by the Lancers at 1 p.m. Saturday at Pickerington Central.

"One of our big things was just keeping the energy up," Lakewood senior center fielder Emma McLean said. "Sometimes, we get a little dull in the dugout. We kicked the buckets out of the dugout, and everyone was standing up and cheering the whole game. That helped with the environment."

McLean singled to lead off the second out of the cleanup spot and scored on classmate Ashley Poling's RBI single, and Poling later scored on an error to give the Lancers a 2-0 lead. McLean's RBI groundout scored junior Audrey Thomas in the third, and Poling homered to center to lead off the fourth.

"We went and scouted Highland last week, and we thought that pitcher lined up with (Poling) perfectly," Lakewood coach Jon Griffith said. "Ashley had all kinds of confidence, and then she sends one today. She hadn't sent one for quite a while, so we were super proud of her."

Highland's impressive season earned the Scots a high seed, but they are still getting their footing in an unforgiving Division II in the Central District. They used a seventh-inning run to beat No. 7 Granville in the second round, and they ran into the perennial power Lancers, who have played a difficult schedule, on Monday.

Lakewood junior second baseman Audrey Thomas charges in an attempt to catch a short bloop against Highland during a Division II district semifinal at Olentangy on Monday, May 16, 2022. The Lancers won 8-2 to set up a district final rematch with Jonathan Alder.
Lakewood junior second baseman Audrey Thomas charges in an attempt to catch a short bloop against Highland during a Division II district semifinal at Olentangy on Monday, May 16, 2022. The Lancers won 8-2 to set up a district final rematch with Jonathan Alder.

Eight seniors led Highland to 11 consecutive wins after an 0-2 start.

"You are sitting there guessing on draw day and saying, 'I don't want to face most of these teams.' There's no easy round," Highland coach Abby Steele said. "I credit our eight seniors. We had eight of them that we're losing, and I thank them for building a legacy. We haven't been able make to this step recently, so this is a stepping stone. That is what you have to celebrate. Going 17-4 in the regular season is nothing to hang your head about."

Junior Guinevere Jackson hit an RBI single in the third inning, following hits by Abby Jordan and Stevie Asher to get Highland on the board. Lakewood sophomore Becca Streets, however, limited the damage, inducing a groundout and a popup.

Meredith Parmer's line drive eluded the right fielder on a diving attempt and allowed Lakewood to bump its lead to 5-1 in the top of the sixth. Juniors Abby Colley and Thomas followed with RBI doubles later in the inning.

"It feels great just getting in there and getting hits. Every at-bat really matters," said Poling, whose two hits were matched by McLean, Colley and Thomas. "Our energy today was really amazing. We really amped it up. ... We want to keep playing. We don't want any game to be our last, so we are going to keep fighting."

Highland senior Adyson Landefeld slides into third base for a triple as Lakewood junior Abby Colley waits for the throw during a Division II district semifinal at Olentangy on Monday, May 16, 2022. Landefeld scored on the play following an overthrow, but the Scots fell 8-2 to the Lancers.
Highland senior Adyson Landefeld slides into third base for a triple as Lakewood junior Abby Colley waits for the throw during a Division II district semifinal at Olentangy on Monday, May 16, 2022. Landefeld scored on the play following an overthrow, but the Scots fell 8-2 to the Lancers.

Highland senior Adyson Landefeld tripled to deep right field to lead off the bottom sixth, and she raced home when the relay throw was errant. Senior Audrey Robinson followed with a single, but the inning later ended when the Scots made their second out of the game on the basepaths.

Jackson and Jordan had two hits apiece to lead the Scots, and Asher went the distance in the circle.

"(Lakewood is) a great hitting program and mechanically sound," Steele said. "We were fighting everything with two outs. We have come out on top of that before, but today when you are playing this high of competition, you can't let it get away from you. It wasn't our day offensively."

Streets, who is in her first season carrying the load in the circle for the Lancers, struck out three. She scattered nine hits, stranding the bases loaded in the seventh.

Lakewood senior Ashley Poling celebrates a home run against Highland during a Division II district semifinal at Olentangy on Monday, May 16, 2022. The Lancers won 8-2 to set up a district final rematch with Jonathan Alder.
Lakewood senior Ashley Poling celebrates a home run against Highland during a Division II district semifinal at Olentangy on Monday, May 16, 2022. The Lancers won 8-2 to set up a district final rematch with Jonathan Alder.

Lakewood's task in this weekend's final is not a secret against Alder, which shut out Bishop Hartley 4-0 on Monday and were ranked No. 2 in the final state poll. The Pioneers led by star pitcher Marlee Jacobs beat the Lancers in the 2019 state final, but the Lancers ended the Pioneers' hopes for a repeat last season.

"I'm not going to lie; I was a little worried, but after playing this game, I am confident we are going to beat them," McLean said.

ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com

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Twitter: @newarkurt

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Lakewood softball rides second wind past Highland, into district final