Lancers edge Flyers in extras

MARIA STEIN - The softball season ended a little sooner than first-year Marion Local head coach Julie Overman wanted as her Flyers were dealt a 5-4 loss in 12 innings to Lincolnview in the Division IV sectional round Tuesday night.

Marion Local didn't go down without a fight, though.

The Lancers (10-14) broke a 2-all tie with three runs in the top of the 12th on an RBI single by Baylee Neate and a two-run double by Zoe Miller, runs that were aided by a pair of Marion errors to start the inning.

Hannah Homan put a runner on board for the Flyers when she reached on an error to open the bottom half of the 12th. An infield hit by Sarah Fesenmyer set the table for Claudia Mescher's two-run double. However, following Macey Griesdorn's pop out, Hannah Moeller lined out to Neate at shortstop and she fired the ball over to third to pick off Moeller for the game-ending double play.

"It sucks the season has to end," Overman said. "They're a great group of girls. They played their hearts out. I told them 'Don't give up until the end.' I think Lincolnview thought they had it in the bag there in the last inning, but we were going to fight back."

Marion Local had to fight back to keep the game going in the eighth, too, after Alena Looser singled home Julia Thatcher for a 2-1 lead. In the bottom half, Taylor Homan reached second on an infield hit with an error. Mara Moeller, pinch running for Taylor Homan, plated the tying run on an RBI single by Hannah Homan.

Each team stranded runners on the bases in the ninth. Lincolnview had the bases juiced in the 10th but Flyer pitcher Taylor Homan escaped the pickle with a fielder's choice for the force out at home and a popup.

The Flyers had a chance for the win in the 11th after loading the bases with one out. Hannah Moeller attempted to tag from third on Taylor Homan's fly ball to right but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

The Flyers' lone two errors came in the 12th and they finished with 12 hits. Hannah Homan, Fesenmyer and Macey and Maddie Griesdorn all had multi-hit games.

"We played solid defense until that last inning, but we were hitting it right to them," Overman said. "We didn't make contact when we needed to, and when we did, we hit it right to them."

Lincolnview overcame four errors and a slow start offensively to earn a date with Spencerville on Thursday. The Lancers didn't have a hit until the sixth inning but ended the night with 12. Thatcher went 3-for-6 with two runs scored, Makala Ashbaugh had three hits and picked up the win on the mound, and Neate finished 4-for-5 with one run scored.

The first seven innings took roughly an hour and 10 minutes as pitchers Taylor Homan and Ashbaugh were dealing. Each had two strikeouts in the first inning. Taylor Homan, who totaled eight strikeouts, struggled a bit in the second, walking two and hitting a batter, but got out of the bases-loaded jam with her third strikeout of the game.

In the bottom half of the second, Maddie Griesdorn had an RBI double to score Macey Griesdorn - a 1-0 lead that stood until the sixth.

Thatcher broke up Taylor Homan's no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the sixth and Ashbaugh sent the game to extras with an RBI base hit.