High school softball: Six-run inning carries Firelands past Padua and into district final

PARMA — Chad Parsons no doubt had an uncomfortable 38-minute bus ride back to Firelands High School on Tuesday, but the first-year coach was more than happy to suffer a little. After all, his sixth-seeded Falcons had just rolled over Padua 8-1 in a Division II district semifinal at Cuyahoga Community College when several of his players grabbed the water jug and drenched him in celebration. "Ooh, that was cold," Parsons said while sporting an ear-to-ear smile. "It does feel pretty good because I was sweating pretty good in that dugout, especially with the close game at the beginning. It was nice and refreshing. I wish it was 85 degrees and sunny, but I guess I'll dry off. I'll go home with wet socks, wet shoes. I can always dry off. I'll take this win over being wet all day long. I'll own it." The Falcons clinched a spot in Thursday's district final thanks in no small part to a fourth-inning rally. Already leading 2-0 after three innings, Firelands got its first three batters on base in the fourth. Kenzie Janosik and Karlee Songer had back-to-back hits and Addi Beal followed with a walk to load the bases. After an out, the next five hitters reached safely. Lexi Schrader got things rolling with an RBI single to right field. Then Mandy DeWitt delivered the big hit of the inning, turning on a middle-in pitch and driving it to the wall in right-center field for a bases-clearing triple. One batter later, DeWitt scored when Aubrynn Reichle hit an RBI double. "It felt really good off the bat," DeWitt said of her triple. "I knew it was going to go far and it was in the gap, so I was thinking triple all the way out of the box. "I knew it was going to be a close game, but I knew with the bases loaded, if I was going to hit the ball, it was going to have to go to score those runs and make it not a scary game." Reichle scored Firelands' eighth and final run on Sarah Blankenship's single to center field. By the end of the fourth inning, the Falcons had an eight-run lead the Bruins couldn't overcome. "That was huge," Parsons said of the six-run inning. "It was a sigh of relief for us a little bit. The hits came exactly when they needed to come, when the runners were on bases. Mandy DeWitt had a heck of a hit. That was huge for us. That was our turning point." While the Falcons got the bats rolling in the middle innings, sophomore pitcher Jeannette Crawford had things under control from the beginning. Despite twisting her right ankle in the sectional tournament last week and playing with a noticeable brace, Crawford threw a complete game with eight strikeouts against three walks, four hits and one earned run allowed. "I've been working with my trainer the last two days, doing stretches, getting it taped up, and he taped it for me today before the game," Crawford said. "Jeannette is an amazing pitcher," DeWitt said. "I love catching her, and she's worked so hard to become the pitcher that she is now. She's developed really well for only being a sophomore." While the win was nice, Firelands doesn't have much time to enjoy it. After a practice today, the Falcons will return to Tri-C on Thursday for the final at 5 p.m. against 11th-seeded Akron Springfield. The Spartans defeated third-seeded Elyria Catholic 10-0 in Tuesday's early game. "It's amazing to be in this position as a first-year coach," Parsons said of being within a victory of a regional tournament berth. "Nobody in Lorain County thought Firelands would be going to the district finals at the beginning of the season. We're in the top three of Lorain County of teams still playing. It's just an unreal feeling to accomplish what we've accomplished. "You know what? We're not satisfied. We want to continue to win. The girls' energy is up. They're wanting to play. I think if they had the opportunity tonight to play a doubleheader, they would've played it. They're just excited to continue their season." Contact Matt Florjancic at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.