Comeback falls short

CELINA - After the Celina softball team erased an eight-run deficit, Minster seemed to be on the ropes.

The Bulldogs had the winning run on second with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but the Wildcats got a double play to end the threat before scoring two of their own in the top of the eighth, and Celina couldn't answer again as Minster survived with an 11-9 extra-innings win at Jim Hoess Field on Tuesday.

"The potential's there, and we showed it in those two innings," Celina coach Jason Tribolet said. "Now we just have to get it started from the first inning of the next game, get it going early instead of giving me a heart attack in the last part of the game. But that was awesome, it was fun. It's what sports are all about."

The Bulldogs trailed 8-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth when the bats finally came to life. Sydney Lehman led off the inning with a double, and the Bulldogs brought home two runs on three hits before Payton Bertke hit a deep fly ball that just cleared the fence in left-center to make it 8-4.

Minster pitcher Rachael Hoying hit the next batter, walked Paige Hart and couldn't handle a soft line drive by Harlee Harris that loaded the bases, but reliever Mikaela Hoskins induced a soft grounder to end the threat.

"The first five innings, we were trying to figure out their pitcher," Tribolet said. "She was throwing a really good game, moving the ball inside-outside on us, and we were struggling to figure out her pattern. About the sixth inning, we finally figured it out a little bit."

The Wildcats added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, but Celina wasn't done. Madison Whitaker drew a walk to lead off the inning, Gracie Chilcoat singled, and Karissa Frederick reached on an error to load the bases for catcher Lucy Piper. Piper drove the ball to the fence for a bases-clearing double. A moment later, Bertke hit a single into left field to score Piper and advanced to second when the left fielder bobbled the ball.

With no outs and the tying run in scoring position, Hemmelgarn brought Hoying back to the mound. Carly Hathaway moved Bertke over with a sacrifice bunt, and Hart pulled off a suicide squeeze to tie the game.

Hart moved to second on a passed ball, but Hoying escaped when Harris popped up a bunt behind the plate and catcher Savanah Bergman picked off Hart for a double play.

"Mikaela wasn't really hitting her spots, we put Rachael back in and she was the hero for us tonight," Minster coach Robb Hemmelgarn said. "She's a senior, she's led the way we expect her to lead this season. I think our girls are going to grow a lot after this game."

Celina's momentum finally fizzled in the top of the eighth. Paige Kuehne, who had relieved Piper Gilliland in the sixth, allowed the first batter to reach on an error, then loaded the bases on a pair of one-out walks. Hoskins, who had been charged with the tying runs, hit a soft fly just over the second baseman's head, not even making it out of the infield, and two runs came home.

Whitaker got a walk in the bottom of the inning, but the Bulldogs couldn't get the tying run on base, and Hoying struck out Frederick looking to end the game.

"Wasn't looking good for a little while," Hemmelgarn said. "Celina had all the momentum, but I'm very proud. We're a very, very young team. We needed this game to see how they'd react to an adverse situation."

Celina travels to Parkway on Thursday while Minster hosts Lincolnview.