Led by another gem from Poston, Lancaster repeats as district champs

The Lancaster softball team defeated Olentangy Orange 5-1 on Saturday at Pickerington Central to win their second consecutive Central District Division I championship. They improved to 24-1 on the season.
The Lancaster softball team defeated Olentangy Orange 5-1 on Saturday at Pickerington Central to win their second consecutive Central District Division I championship. They improved to 24-1 on the season.

PICKERINGTON — For the second year in a row, the Lancaster softball team needed sophomore pitcher Reese Poston to be at her best.

As a freshman a year ago, Poston pitched a gem in a 1-0 district title win over Marysville, and on Saturday, against Olentangy Orange, Poston once again showed a lot of grit and determination, and even after she gave up a solo home run in the fourth inning to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead, Poston never wavered.

She struck out the next five batters she faced, and after Annabelle Farmer hit a solo home run to tie it at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Lancaster was able to take advantage of a few mistakes from Olentangy Orange and plated four runs to secure a 5-1 Division I district championship win at Pickerington Central.

The top-seeded Lady Gales, who is ranked No. 2 in the state in the Ohio High School Softball Coaches Association Division I poll, improved to 24-1 on the season. Lancaster will face Gahanna at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Centerburg Softball Field in a regional semifinal. Watkins Memorial plays Marysville in the other semifinal.

Lancaster sophomore pitcher Reese Poston tossed a two-hitter to help lead the Lady Gales to a 5-1 Central District Division I district title win over Olentangy Orange on Saturday at Pickerington Central.
Lancaster sophomore pitcher Reese Poston tossed a two-hitter to help lead the Lady Gales to a 5-1 Central District Division I district title win over Olentangy Orange on Saturday at Pickerington Central.

Poston ended up tossing a two-hitter and struck out 10. She knew she made a mistake on the home run ball, and while she was pitching lights out prior to giving up the home run, after giving it up, she became even more locked in.

“I knew I hung that pitch, and I knew it shouldn’t have happened,” Poston said. “I just wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again. I came back with the mindset of they aren’t scoring another run.

Poston said everything starts in her preparation.

“I try to go into every game with a lot of confidence, but if there is a title at hand, I go in with a lot more confidence,” Poston said. “I just made sure I was extra focused and made sure there were no outside distractions for me, especially during warm-ups because if you pitch well during warmups you are going to pitch well in the game and vice-versa.

“Winning back-to-back district titles is the best feeling in the world. I’m honored to be able to play with these girls and play for my town and be a part of this program.”

Lancaster coach Allie Kinniard said what sets Poston apart from most pitchers is her ability to remain focused and always locked in, regardless if something doesn’t go her way.

“When she is in the circle, it is 100 percent focus and if something doesn’t go her way, she does the complete opposite of what most players do,” Kinniard said. “She doesn’t get down on herself, and she uses that as motivation to make herself better.”

Lancaster was kept off-balance at the plate through the first four innings by Orange pitcher Gauri Naiki, who limited them to just one hit until Farmer unloaded a bomb that tied the score. However, she was hit in the leg by a hard shot and was forced to leave the game.

The Lady Gales were then able to start to put pressure on the Pioneers’ defense in the sixth inning. After Farmer opened the inning with a single, and after a pop-out, Poston put runners in a scoring position with a double.

Then, sophomore Bree Hilyard came off the bench to pinch-hit and she hit a grounder to the right of the second baseman, which allowed one run to score, and the throw at home was off its mark to another run to score. Hilyard was able to come all the way around to third on the play and would score on a wild pitch. The Gales added their final run on an RBI single from Jessie Spurling.

“I told them (in the sixth inning) if we want to win this game, we have to respond now and how are we going to respond?” Kinniard said. “We were able to make some adjustments at the plate and put the ball in play and force them to make plays. We did what we had to do to win.

Lancaster pitcher Reese Poston is all smiles following the Golden Gales’ 5-1 win over Olentangy Orange in a Division I district final May 21 at Pickerington Central. Poston went the distance in the circle.
Lancaster pitcher Reese Poston is all smiles following the Golden Gales’ 5-1 win over Olentangy Orange in a Division I district final May 21 at Pickerington Central. Poston went the distance in the circle.

“Last year we won a district title and we really weren’t expected to and were the underdog coming in. This year we knew we had a target on our back, so we had to be solid, and we had to pull out all the stops to get a win.  No matter what that means or how we get it done, the bottom line is doing whatever we have to do to win the game.”

Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Led by another gem from Poston, Lancaster repeats as district champs