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WL-Salem ousts Triad in eight innings
Tigers wrap up OHC play at 14-0

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Triad’s Kristen Cooney dives back to third base in front of the tag by West Liberty-Salem’s Sami Konkle on a pickoff attempt during Monday’s game at North Lewisburg Community Park.

EXAMINER PHOTO | MATT HAMMOND

By The Bellefontaine Examiner Staff
05/0608

West Liberty-Salem’s softball team wrapped up league play in dramatic fashion Monday afternoon.

The Tigers outlasted host Triad 7-6 in eight innings as WL-Salem capped a perfect Ohio Heritage Conference season.

WL-Salem completes the OHC schedule at 14-0, while improving to 22-0 overall. Triad slips to 13-9, 9-4.

“It was a great game for us,” said WL-Salem head coach Lanay Detwiler. “Any time you can play a quality team like Triad and be able to come out on top in extra innings is a good win.”

It was not a perfectly played game — the two teams combined for seven errors — but it was a battle until the end.

The Tigers led 3-1 after two innings, but Triad scored three runs in the third frame to take a 4-3 lead.

WL-Salem came right back, scoring three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 6-4 advantage.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Cardinals scored twice to force the game into extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, Shae Blake had a triple to score Devon Woodruff with the go-ahead run for the Tigers.

WL-Salem pitcher Emily Kauffman then kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth to ice the win.

“It seemed like we got one step ahead one inning and then the next inning we felt a step behind,” said Triad head coach Shari Dixon. “It was a hardfought game. Both teams played extremely hard.”

Haleigh Hickenbottom belted a home run, Blake was 3-5 with a double and triple and Woodruff, Sami Konkle and Abbey Ledford each had two hits for the Tigers.

“We made some errors that hurt us, but we also came up with some good plays and we had some timely hits,” said Detwiler.

Kristen Cooney was 2-3 with a double, triple and RBI to lead Triad’s offense. Morgan Perry had three hits and Amy Ropp added two hits.

The Tigers are back in action today at home against West Carrollton, while the Cardinals play Thursday at Springfield Catholic Central.

WL-SALEM 7 — TRIAD 6 (eight innings)
Tigers 210 300 01 — 7 14 4 — Cardinals 103 000 20 — 6 10 3
Kauffman and Hickenbottom; Ryan and Brooks. WP— Kauffman; LP—Ryan.