FITCH DREAMS OF A REPEAT STILL FLYING HIGH

By Ty Bartell

YOUNGSTOWN OH- The Austintown-Fitch Falcons softball team entered their third consecutive regional final in the last three seasons, looking to repeat an appearance in the State Final Four! Battling the #9 team in the nation, The Walsh Jesuit Warriors, The Falcons made a statement in the 8-2 win, handing The Warriors their first loss of the season.

The first two innings looked like a battle between #9 vs. #10 in the country as Falcon junior and Georgia-Tech commit Sydnie Watts and Warrior senior and Minnesota commit Natalie Susa were pitching around some early baserunners to post early zeros. The first score of the game occurred in the third inning when “Sammy Buckets” Same Severn showed off her clutch gene in the playoffs once again, delivering a two-out, two-run single past a diving Brianna Wise at second base to put Fitch up 2-0.

Walsh Jesuit, looking to get a run back in the top of the fourth, had Kayla McGee at third base following a double and advancement from her with only one out. However, The Falcons defense pulled off a spectacular 1-3-2 double play to end the inning without a Warrior run scoring! Fitch would add a run to their lead in the bottom of the fourth when Morgan Roby worked a bases loaded walk to give The Falcons a 3-0 edge, before Susa would register the third out and leave the bases loaded for the second time in the game.
After a scoreless top half of the fifth inning, The Falcons would open up Pandora’s box offensively, putting a five spot in the bottom of the fifth. Starting with Vita Kelty hitting a pinch-hit single to turn the lineup over before an RBI-triple by Kaliana Ray and back-to-back blasts by Kylie Folkwein, a two-run shot, and Sydnie Watts who cam so close to hitting the famous McDonalds parking lot in left-center field at The Covelli Sports Complex.

With an emphatic 8-0 lead in the top of the seventh, Fitch saw themselves three outs away from a berth in the State Final Four at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.However, The Warriors would not go down without a fight! Racking up three hits in the seventh after being held to just one in the previous six innings, The Warriors scratched across a couple of late-inning runs, moving the score to 8-2 Austintown.

Watts would fan her 13th batter of the ballgame for the final out, booking The Falcons ticket back to state, as they are one chapter closer to finishing the 2024 story. Interviews with impact players, Sydnie Watts, Same Severn, Kylie Folkwein and Vita Kelty as well as Fitch Head Coach Steve Ward can be found below!
Fitch (21-1) will now square-off with The Fairfield Indians (22-3) in the State Semi-Final on Friday, May 31st with a 3 p.m. first pitch at Akron Firestone Park. On the other side of the Final Four, Anthony Wayne (30-1) will battle Watkins Memorial (30-1).
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