Orion softball downs ROWVA 5-1 for regional championship

Down 1-0 midway through the first inning of the regional championship game, the Orion Chargers took advantage of five hits, two errors and a sacrifice bunt to jump ahead 4-1 by the end of the second frame.

They went on to defeat the host ROWVA Tigers 5-1 on Saturday, May 22, in Oneida.

Orion got timely hitting, coach Shelly Hutton said.

“We didn’t hit the cover off the ball, but we got the hits we needed,” she said.

ROWVA’s pitcher, Grace Cleair, pitched the ball up and in on the Orion hitters, but they were able to adjust, Hutton said.

Meanwhile, Orion hurler Kelly Hutton “settled in real well after the first inning,” the coach said.

Catcher Jena Malmen “did a good job of mixing up the speeds for her,” Shelly Hutton said.

Kelly Hutton claimed the win by giving up only two hits, both in the first inning, and one walk, in the fourth. She struck out 10 batters in six innings. The only run she allowed was earned.

Ashlee Amador pitched the seventh inning to get some work in. She surrendered one hit and struck out two.

The win advanced Orion to the sectional semifinals on Wednesday, May 26, in Knoxville. Weather permitting, they were to face Alexis United.

The Red Storm defeated the Chargers 1-0 on Thursday, March 18, at the Monmouth College diamond.

United scored the game’s only run in the third inning, when Katie Bertlesen smashed a home run.

On the mound, Bertlesen collected 10 strikeouts while allowing only two walks.

In last year’s state championship game, United and Cobden battled through 19 innings before the Appleknockers plated a runner and won 1-0.

A year earlier, the Red Storm and the Appleknockers had gone 11 innings with a state championship on the line. Cobden won 5-2.

With a regional championship on the line Saturday, Hutton struck out the first two Tigers she faced.

Then Britta Johnson doubled up the left field line, and Megan Foglesong followed up with a single to score Johnson.

Hutton got the next batter to pop up to shortstop Megan Blumenshein to end the inning.

In the bottom of the first, Charger leadoff hitter Abby Taets beat out an infield single. She went to second on a passed ball.

Hillary Taets reached on the right fielder’s error, which allowed her sister to reach third base.

Batting cleanup, Jena Malmen doubled into left center to score Abby Taets.

With two outs in the second, an error put ROWVA’s Megan Steck on base. But the next batter hit the ball to third baseman Abby Taets, who threw to Hillary Taets for the final out of the half-inning.

In the bottom of the second, Charger Taylor Larson reached on the shortstop’s error. Niki Cook’s sacrifice bunt moved Larson to second.

After the next batter struck out, Orion was back at the top of the lineup.

Abby Taets singled into left center, scoring Larson for a 2-1 lead.

Blumenshein cracked the ball into left field, allowing Taets to come home.

Hillary Taets kept the Chargers going with a single into left.

Blumenshein scored all the way from first on the left fielder’s error.

Trailing 4-1, ROWVA couldn’t get a base runner in the third inning. Tigers struck out, popped up to Blumenshein and flied out to center fielder Kylee Peterson.

ROWVA’s Foglesong walked on a full-count pitch to open the fourth inning. Hutton then struck out the side on 2-2 pitches.

In their half of the fourth, the Chargers scratched out another run.
Cook led off with a single up the middle and stole second.

Grace Leuck laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Cook to third, and Abby Taets lofted a sac fly into center field to score her.

ROWVA had a runner in the sixth, which opened with Cassie Abel reaching on the shortstop’s error. She went to second on a wild pitch.

But not to worry. Hutton got the next batter to ground out to second baseman Larson. The Charger pitcher then whiffed the following two batters for her ninth and 10th strikeouts of the game.

The Tigers had one more chance to score. After Amador got Courtney Sage to ground out to Blumenshein, she struck out the next batter.

Pinch hitter Kaitlin Henson singled into left field, only to watch Amador set the next batter down on strikes.

The Chargers outhit the Tigers 7-3. Abby Taets and Blumenshein pounded out two hits each, and Hillary Taets, Malmen and Cook had one apiece.

Malmen’s double was the only extra-base hit for Orion.

The Chargers had only one stolen base, Cook’s in the fourth inning.

Tiger Cleair’s pitching line read five runs, two earned, on seven hits and six strikeouts.

Orion made two errors and ROWVA, four.