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Celina's Campbelle Gass (91) reaches up for the ball as Madison Comprehensive's Campbell Kiser slides into second base during Saturday's Division III district softball final in Willard.
WILLARD - The late-inning magic that has brought Celina wins late in the regular season and postseason couldn't overcome a tough Madison Comprehensive squad.
The Rams used a three-run fifth inning to pull away, then applied the coup de grâce in the sixth to end the Bulldogs' season with a 10-2 decision in the Division III district softball final on a rainy Saturday at the Willard Athletic Complex.
The Rams (14-14) now travels to Ashland on Wednesday against Ontario in the regional semifinals.
Celina ends the season at 21-3 and snaps a 13-game winning streak.
The Bulldogs had two walk-off wins over Bath and Shawnee to lock up a second straight Western Buckeye League title and scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to beat Shawnee in the district semifinals on Thursday, but Saturday Celina was unable to overcome a tough Madison squad with sophomore pitcher Caliyah Clapper.
"Kids left it all on the field," said Celina coach Renee Williams. "I couldn't be more proud of them and the things we've accomplished this year."
Both Clapper and Celina starting pitcher Lilly Gonzalez were sharp in the first inning, but in the bottom of the second the Rams took the lead. An error and two straight singles loaded the bases for Makenna Berkshire. A wild pitch scored Campbell Kiser for the first. Gonzalez then struck out two straight before an error brought home Allie Shrader to make it 2-0.
Celina tried to come back in the third. Alexis Siefring singled, then an out later, Maddie Allen reached on an error. After a fly out, Madison chose to intentionally walk Gonzalez to load the bases. Hayley Germann worked the count full before taking ball four to bring home Siefring to make it 2-1.
The Rams got one run back as back-to-back doubles from Clapper and Kiser made it 3-1. Celina quickly made it 3-2 in the top of the fourth as Olivia Sutter lofted a fly to left that cleared the fence for a solo homer.
That was the final Celina run as Clapper took control. Clapper worked out of a one-out jam in the fifth with runners at second and third with back-to-back strikeouts.
Celina's Colbie Kinney makes contact with a Madison baserunner as she makes a catch.
Madison scored three runs in the fifth. Back-to-back ground backs and a Chloe Jeffers RBI single made it 6-2.
Clapper had a two-run single and Shrader hit a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 10-2, leaving it up to Clapper to wrap up things in the seventh. Clapper got the first two outs before Germann singled. Clapper promptly got her 11th strikeout of the game as Avery Stachler swung at strike three.
"Kudos to Madison. They hit the ball and (Clapper) pitched well," said Williams. "We had some situations where we should have pushed some runs across and we didn't, but I can't be upset.
"My kids are resilient and relentless. I couldn't ask for a better group of girls. My three seniors (Paiton Rhodes, Avery Stachler and Colbie Kinney, who returned to the lineup at first base after missing part of the season with a broken arm) are a great group. I'm going to miss all of them."
