Whiteoak Lady Wildcats gain district championship
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
MINFORD — For the first time in 11 seasons, the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats are SE District Champions. Not only did they shut out Portsmouth Clay, but they did that behind another no-hitter this season from senior Kiley Sosby.
With the nearly perfect performance from Sosby, and nine hits from the Lady Wildcats' offense, the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Division II champions cruised to an 11-0 seven-inning victory over the Lady Panthers Saturday afternoon at Minford High School.
The win was also a bit of revenge, as it was Clay who defeated WHS in the postseason last year by a 1-0 score in a sectional final game.
At the start of the season, second-year WHS head coach Trisha Hauke and her team were practicing in the gym of WHS, during one of the indoor late March practices due to the Ohio weather.
While in the gym, she pointed to the regional banner of the last Lady Wildcats softball team to be district champions from 2004, knowing that was the goal of the team this season. The Lady Wildcats accomplished that goal Saturday.
[[In-content Ad]]"There was no doubt in my mind this group of girls could go as far as they wanted to go," Hauke said. "At the beginning of the year, we came together and our motto was family, and that's what we've built off of this entire year … we are a family.
"When you work together and come together as a family, you can achieve great things, and they did. Like I told the girls, it doesn't stop here, because we want to keep going. At the beginning of the year, the girls were looking up at the (2004) softball regional banner, and I told them 'you can get one of those.'
"That's been our vision … gaining a banner on the wall with their names on it, and they accomplished it."
In the win was the no-hitter by Sosby, who was one out away from a perfect game, completely dominating the competition for her seventh no-hitter of the season (four being perfect games).
Sosby on Saturday pitched all seven innings, allowing no runs, hits or walks. The perfect game was erased on a error in the seventh inning with two outs. The senior finished with 14 strikeouts, and this postseason, she has not allowed a run in three games or walked a single batter. In three postseason games, Sosby has tallied 38 strikeouts and has allowed just seven hits.
"Kiley is on her game, and as a coach, it is so nice to have someone who is so dedicated and wants to come and pick the team up and get them going," Hauke said. "This entire year, she's been the leader."
The Lady Panthers strayed away from Sosby for most of the game when she stepped up to the plate, walking her three times in her first three plate appearances. In all, WHS forced eight walks in the district final, and for the postseaso,n they've walked 24 times in three games.
Putting Sosby on first base might have kept her from swinging the bat, but it did allow sophomore Jaycie Parr to make the opponents pay with the second batter in the order finishing 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs. Parr also forced a walk.
In speaking of walks, both Sosby and Parr began the top of the first with walks, and with one out, Alexis Jones doubled in both runners for the early 2-0 advantage. Jones finished the day 3-for-4 with one run and five RBIs.
"I built my lineup this year off what this team (Clay) did to us last year," Hauke said. "Since that game last year, I knew they were going to walk Kiley, and I figured a lot of teams would follow that plan and walk her as well this season.
"That's why I have her as my first batter … to get her on and it sets Jaycie up. There was no doubt to put Jaycie behind Kiley and allow her and the rest of the order to get some runs."
The Lady 'Cats (23-2) came back with a four-run second inning, beginning with a walk by Ashlyn Moore. Courtney Gross followed that with a line drive base hit to centerfield. Following the first out, Sosby was walked, and with the bases full, on a 3-2 count, Parr doubled to centerfield to score Moore and Gross.
Ashleigh Harless walked, and with runners on all three bases, Jones singled in two more runs with a hit to centerfield, plating Sosby and Parr for a six-run advantage.
WHS added another run in the third with Moore walking to begin the top half of the inning. After two outs, and another intentional walk of Sosby, Parr was there to make the opposition pay for skipping to her, making a statement with an infield single that brought home Moore for a 7-0 lead.
The runs continued to come across home plate for the Lady Wildcats, this time with Parr reaching first on an error, and with one out, she scored on a single to left field by Jones.
Jones eventually scored off a ground out by Jayde Parr, pushing the Lady 'Cats' lead to nine runs.
Two final runs crossed the plate in the top of the seventh, both with two outs as Hayley Nace kept the inning alive with a double to the left field fence. She eventually scored the 10th run of the district final with Sosby singling a line drive to left field.
Sosby made it 11-0 by crossing home plate on a passed ball. In three postseason games, the Lady Wildcats have totaled 29 runs.
"I'm proud of the girls," Hauke said. "They've worked hard to have the success they've had this season."
This postseason, WHS has also defeated Western Latham, 10-0, and in the district semifinals defeated the Racine Southern Tornadoes, 8-0.
Next for the Lady Wildcats will be their Sweet 16 regional semifinal game on Thursday, May 28 at 5 p.m. as they will face the Central District champion, Danville Lady Blue Jays at Pickerington Central High School. Danville enters the game at 25-3 overall.
With the nearly perfect performance from Sosby, and nine hits from the Lady Wildcats' offense, the Southern Hills Athletic Conference Division II champions cruised to an 11-0 seven-inning victory over the Lady Panthers Saturday afternoon at Minford High School.
The win was also a bit of revenge, as it was Clay who defeated WHS in the postseason last year by a 1-0 score in a sectional final game.
At the start of the season, second-year WHS head coach Trisha Hauke and her team were practicing in the gym of WHS, during one of the indoor late March practices due to the Ohio weather.
While in the gym, she pointed to the regional banner of the last Lady Wildcats softball team to be district champions from 2004, knowing that was the goal of the team this season. The Lady Wildcats accomplished that goal Saturday.
[[In-content Ad]]"There was no doubt in my mind this group of girls could go as far as they wanted to go," Hauke said. "At the beginning of the year, we came together and our motto was family, and that's what we've built off of this entire year … we are a family.
"When you work together and come together as a family, you can achieve great things, and they did. Like I told the girls, it doesn't stop here, because we want to keep going. At the beginning of the year, the girls were looking up at the (2004) softball regional banner, and I told them 'you can get one of those.'
"That's been our vision … gaining a banner on the wall with their names on it, and they accomplished it."
In the win was the no-hitter by Sosby, who was one out away from a perfect game, completely dominating the competition for her seventh no-hitter of the season (four being perfect games).
Sosby on Saturday pitched all seven innings, allowing no runs, hits or walks. The perfect game was erased on a error in the seventh inning with two outs. The senior finished with 14 strikeouts, and this postseason, she has not allowed a run in three games or walked a single batter. In three postseason games, Sosby has tallied 38 strikeouts and has allowed just seven hits.
"Kiley is on her game, and as a coach, it is so nice to have someone who is so dedicated and wants to come and pick the team up and get them going," Hauke said. "This entire year, she's been the leader."
The Lady Panthers strayed away from Sosby for most of the game when she stepped up to the plate, walking her three times in her first three plate appearances. In all, WHS forced eight walks in the district final, and for the postseaso,n they've walked 24 times in three games.
Putting Sosby on first base might have kept her from swinging the bat, but it did allow sophomore Jaycie Parr to make the opponents pay with the second batter in the order finishing 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs. Parr also forced a walk.
In speaking of walks, both Sosby and Parr began the top of the first with walks, and with one out, Alexis Jones doubled in both runners for the early 2-0 advantage. Jones finished the day 3-for-4 with one run and five RBIs.
"I built my lineup this year off what this team (Clay) did to us last year," Hauke said. "Since that game last year, I knew they were going to walk Kiley, and I figured a lot of teams would follow that plan and walk her as well this season.
"That's why I have her as my first batter … to get her on and it sets Jaycie up. There was no doubt to put Jaycie behind Kiley and allow her and the rest of the order to get some runs."
The Lady 'Cats (23-2) came back with a four-run second inning, beginning with a walk by Ashlyn Moore. Courtney Gross followed that with a line drive base hit to centerfield. Following the first out, Sosby was walked, and with the bases full, on a 3-2 count, Parr doubled to centerfield to score Moore and Gross.
Ashleigh Harless walked, and with runners on all three bases, Jones singled in two more runs with a hit to centerfield, plating Sosby and Parr for a six-run advantage.
WHS added another run in the third with Moore walking to begin the top half of the inning. After two outs, and another intentional walk of Sosby, Parr was there to make the opposition pay for skipping to her, making a statement with an infield single that brought home Moore for a 7-0 lead.
The runs continued to come across home plate for the Lady Wildcats, this time with Parr reaching first on an error, and with one out, she scored on a single to left field by Jones.
Jones eventually scored off a ground out by Jayde Parr, pushing the Lady 'Cats' lead to nine runs.
Two final runs crossed the plate in the top of the seventh, both with two outs as Hayley Nace kept the inning alive with a double to the left field fence. She eventually scored the 10th run of the district final with Sosby singling a line drive to left field.
Sosby made it 11-0 by crossing home plate on a passed ball. In three postseason games, the Lady Wildcats have totaled 29 runs.
"I'm proud of the girls," Hauke said. "They've worked hard to have the success they've had this season."
This postseason, WHS has also defeated Western Latham, 10-0, and in the district semifinals defeated the Racine Southern Tornadoes, 8-0.
Next for the Lady Wildcats will be their Sweet 16 regional semifinal game on Thursday, May 28 at 5 p.m. as they will face the Central District champion, Danville Lady Blue Jays at Pickerington Central High School. Danville enters the game at 25-3 overall.