High school softball: Seniors go out swinging in high-scoring all-star game

LORAIN — One year after a hiatus, the Lorain County Softball Coaches Association All-Star softball game was back Wednesday at Campana Park, giving selected seniors the chance to don their high school uniforms one more time. The game was a slugfest with the team coached by Firelands' Chad Parsons scoring eight times in the first and holding on for a 14-12 win over the team coached by Lorain's JayDee Charlton. Team One, Charlton's team, consisted of players from Lorain, Amherst, Elyria, Elyria Catholic, Columbia and Avon. Parsons' Team Two was made up of players from Vermilion, Keystone, North Ridgeville, Wellington, Firelands and Open Door. EC's Harper Morgan started in the circle for Team One, but a sore arm limited her to eight batters with seven coming around to score. Keystone's Jordan Owca scored one of her five runs (she was called on to pinch run several times), while the Rangers' Gabby Thibodeaux (2-for-2) and Kasey Melvin had leisurely trips around the bases when Wellington's Mallory Pickering crushed a three-run homer. "Honestly, I didn't think it was out, I thought it was just a line drive," said Pickering, who also got the win going all seven innings with North Ridgeville's Naomi Bottomlee, this year's Miss Softball winner, out with an injury. "I didn't know she (Bottomlee) was out until I got here. It was a great experience." Sarah Blankenship (Firelands) doubled, Brennan Dillon (North Ridgeville) walked and Bella Kucerik (North Ridgeville) singled, ending Morgan's day in the circle. Columbia's Sadie Schulke came on and allowed a double to North Ridgeville's Kailee Pasenow (2-for-3) before getting the final two outs to end the inning. "I really thought Harper (Morgan) was going to go the first four innings and I would go three," said Schulke, who ended up going 5 1/3. "My anticipation tonight was to just have fun, come out and play my last game ever. This so just so exciting." Team Parsons added single runs in the second, third and fifth innings, but Team Charlton got hot at the plate and started chipping away at the healthy deficit. Columbia's Bree Heidecker (2-for-2) and Kaitlyn Miller both reached and scored for Team Charlton ahead of Avon's Lauren Fisher in the third. Team Parson picked up three important insurance runs in the top of the sixth as North Ridgeville's Molly Walton singled and scored on an Owca fielder's choice. Owca scored on a ground out and Thibodeaux singled and scored on Pickering's third hit of the game for a 14-5 lead. Team Charlton added single runs in the fourth and fifth before putting up crooked numbers in their final two turns at the plate. "It felt great to let loose and just do my thing today with no stress," Owca said. "You have nothing to lose in a game like this. Just go out there and have fun one last time." Schulke, Heidecker and Miller all had hits with the last two driving in runs. Miller scored on a wild pitch to trim the lead to 14-8. Amherst's Allie Jackson and Isabella Thoms-Friend both reached, Elyria's Morgan Palos doubled home both runners, Morgan hit a sacrifice fly and the Panthers' Hannah Brooks drove home the final run of the season with a double before a groundout to third ended the rally. "It's a lot of fun to play with old teammates and everyone knows what they're doing out here," Palos said. "It was good to finally get a hit after I had bunted. I had it timed up and got a real hit to finish up my season." Contact James Brady at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.