Saturday, May 15, 1999
Three N.Ky. teams in slow-pitch semis
NewCath, Newport, Dayton in
BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer contributor
HEBRON — Newport Central Catholic, Newport and Dayton took different routes to the same destination Friday.
NewCath, Newport and Dayton are all in today's state slow-pitch softball semifinals at 11 a.m at RiverShore Sports Complex. NewCath meets Newport, while Dayton takes on Louisville Holy Cross.
In Friday's first- and second-round games, NewCath took the shortest path — a forfeit win over Oneida Baptist and a 10-0 shutout of Villa Madonna.
Newport had the longest, strangest trip. A school prom cost the Wildcats eight players, but the largely junior-varsity squad breezed by Ludlow 14-3 and squeaked past Rockcastle County, 11-10, in nine innings.
And Dayton is in the winner's bracket today for the first time, thanks to a 4-2 win over Holmes and an 8-2 victory over Clay County.
NewCath coach Jenny Mertle sees some similarities between this year and 1997, when NewCath won the title.
It was probably NewCath's sophomore catcher, Stephanie McCarthy, who kept the Thoroughbreds in the winners' bracket. Her two-run double in the third inning against Villa Madonna gave the Thoroughbreds a 2-0 lead they did not relinquish.
“We almost cut her last year,” Mertle said. “This year, nobody wanted to catch. She said, "Definitely, I want to catch.' She's amazing with the way she's swinging the bat.”
Newport was fortunate just to have a team. Because of the prom, there were just 10 Wildcats in the dugout, and sophomore second baseman Jessica Beatsch missed the tournament because of mononucleosis.
It was a good thing the Wildcats had sophomore pitcher Ashley Mills against Rockcastle County. Her two-run home run in the seventh inning tied the game 9-9, and her second two-run homer in the ninth gave the Wildcats their winning margin.
“I wasn't missing this,” Mills said. “You don't get to state all the time. I got up there and talked to myself and said, "You can do this.'”
Dayton did it because of the leadership of its seven seniors. Shortstop Jennifer Huebner and right center fielder Laura Stockton clinched the Clay County win. Huebner was 3-for-4, while Stockton went 2-for-4 with a triple.
“We've played together since our seventh-grade year,” Huebner said. “We've bonded. We wanted to accomplish as much as we did and more.”
Louisville Holy Cross, which plays both slow- and fast-pitch, pulled off perhaps the biggest upset. After its 12-1 win over Jackson County, the Cougars shocked favored Highlands 7-4.
“I think our defense helped us,” Holy Cross assistant coach Jerry Hilpp said.
Highlands, a 13-3 winner over Holy Cross in the Lloyd Invitational two weeks ago, committed four errors and stranded at least two runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the seventh to end the game.
“They took some of our long shots away,” Highlands coach Mike Burns said.
First round
Highlands ....... 202 01—7 9 4
Beechwood ....... 000 00—0 0 0
WP-Hughes; LP-Hill. 2B-Leftin (H)2; Boothe (H); Tabar (H); Turner (H); Hughes (H). 3B-Sheanshang (H).
Bellevue ....... 000 150 2—8 13 5
Clay County ....... 311 004 0—9 16 4
WP-Curry; LP-Wilson. 2B-Horn (B), DeHoff (B). HR-Turner (B).
Holmes ....... 010 010 0—2 7 3
Dayton ....... 001 012 X—4 5 2
WP-Brickler, LP-Krumpleman.
Newport ....... 070 232—14 171
Ludlow ....... 300 000— 3 8 7
WP-Mills; LP-Conway. 3B-Mills.
Newport Central Catholic def. Oneida Baptist by forfeit.
Silver Grove ....... 000 010— 1 3 4
Villa Madonna ....... 001 235—11 10 4
WP-Humphrey; LP-Steidel. HR-Uhling (VM). 3B-Pavel (VM).
Winner's bracket
Second round
Holy Cross (Louis.) ....... 221 000 2—7 13 1
Highlands ....... 001 200 1—4 14 2
WP-Conder; LP-Hughes. 2B-Gillespie (HC), Cecil (HC), Bever (HC), Tabar (HC). 3B-Cecil (HC).
Dayton ....... 421 001 0—8 20 1
Clay County ....... 110 000 0—2 6 1
WP-Brickler; LP-Curry. 2B-Turner (D). 3B-Stockton (D), Hollingsworth (D).
Villa Madonna ....... 000 00— 0 4 2
Newport CC ....... 043 03—10 14 1
WP-Meyers; LP-Humphrey. 2B-McCarthy (NCC). 3B-Uhling (VM).
Newport ....... 000 140 402—11 15 5
Rockcastle Co. ....... 010 323 001—10 21 5
WP-Mills; LP-Stamper. 2B-Atkins (N). 3B-Atkins (N), Brown (RC). HR-Mills (N) 2.
Consolation bracket
First round
Jackson County ....... 304 026—15 18 2
Beechwood ....... 000 100— 1 4 1
WP-Lynch; LP-Haake. 2B-Gentry (JC), Creech (JC). 3B-Gentry (JC), Wright (JC).
Bellevue ....... 110 211 0—6 9 3
Holmes ....... 020 103 1—7 9 5
WP-Krumpleman; LP-Wilson. 2B-Turner (B), Allen (H).
Ludlow ....... 010 00— 1 4 1
Lloyd Memorial ....... 213 6X—12 15 1
WP-Eades; LP-Conway. 2B-Finck (L), Hedges (LM), Wear (LM). 3B - Miller (LM), Eades (LM).
Silver Grove defeated Oneida Baptist by forfeit.
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