FALCONS OUTLAST THE COMETS IN INSTANT CLASSIC
By Ty Bartell
YOUNGSTOWN OH- The Austintown-Fitch Falcons softball team survived a very game Amherst Steele Comets team in the regional semi-final by a score of 2-1 in a nine inning contest! Junior Georgia Tech commit Sydnie Watts started in the circle for Fitch while freshman Karina Schuster toed the rubber for Steele.
The Falcons started with the bats as the away team, as Schuster pitched around a couple Austintown hits to post a scoreless frame, aided by catcher Isabella Thomas-Friend throwing out Kalina Ray, attempting to swipe second, but coming off the bag while the tag was applied. Watts matched Schuster by holding The Comets off the scoreboard in the bottom half of the first.
Both teams would put on an impressive pitching display, executing in different ways. Watts by way of the strikeout and Schuster by way of amazing off-speed pitches that forced weak contact on Fitch with runners in scoring position multiple times. Through seven innings, both teams were scoreless with neither pitcher or defense giving an inch!
The top of the eighth finally saw Fitch break through with a Kylie Folkwein RBI-single to right, landing directly in front of a diving Nevaeh Sadler to score Kaliana Ray, giving The Falcons a 1-0 lead. The bottom of the eighth and the bottom of the order due up with The Comets season on the line. With one out, an amazing playoff softball moment occurred, when freshman designated player Kayla Rhodes smoked a Watts pitch to left, hitting the foul pole, for her first high school home run, tying the game 1-1!
Watts would get out of the eighth with the game tied, giving Fitch an opportunity in the top of the ninth. The red hot hitting Sam Severn would line her third hit of the game into center to put the go ahead run on first. Back-to-back bunts by Austintown allowed Severn to stand 60 feet away at third, giving Falcon freshman phenom Kaliana Ray the chance to bat. With the biggest hit of her high school career, Ray would line a single to right-center, scoring Severn and putting Fitch up 2-1!
Bottom of the ninth and it was 2-3-4 due up in the Steele lineup. Forcing a pop-fly from Allie Jackson in foul territory to Ayla Ray for the first out. Emma Nagy put up an incredible at-bat against Watts, bowing out with a changeup for Syd’s 16th strikeout of the outing! With two down, Watts would force a popup to shortstop Ayla Ray for the final out of the ballgame, clinching the 2-1 victory for The Falcons!
Ending the season 20-8, The Steele Comets put together an incredible season as the Northeast 4 District winners while giving the defending state champions all they could handle and more, spearheaded by an dazzling performance by freshman Karina Schuster.
The win for Austintown-Fitch (20-1) will send them to the elite eight for the third consecutive year where they will face The Walsh Jesuit Warriors (22-0) in one of the most anticipated matchups in the state of Ohio! That game will be at The Covelli Sports Complex at YSU on Friday, May 24th with a 5 p.m. first pitch.
Interviews with Players of the Game Kaliana Ray, Kylie Folkwein and Sydnie Watts as well as Falcon Head Coach Steve Ward can be found below. Stay updated with The Fitch Falcons softball postseason run with live games, scores, stats, stories and more on YSN!
