Hot Stove Softball: Hailey Fury homers, pitches Amherst to win over Firelands, Class A title

SPENCER TWP. — Hailey Fury closed out Firelands every way she could. Amherst's ace pitched a gem in the circle, delivered the go-ahead two-run home run and then came back in the sixth to strike out the side and preserve a 3-2 win in the Hot Stove softball Class A (ages 9-10) championship at J.B. Firestone Memorial Park on Monday evening. Fury allowed one unearned run on no hits and five walks with eight strikeouts in her three innings of work. At the plate, she reached base all three times, going 1-for-1 with a walk, hit by pitch, home run and two RBIs. "I thought it was a great hit and I just knew it was going to happen," Fury said of seeing her home run. "I felt great and it was really good. I just tried my hardest and just wanted to do really great." Hits were hard to come by on both sides as Amherst produced just three and Firelands was held to one. Starter Corrine Viock gave the Falcons four shutout innings, striking out eight with three walks and a hit. Amherst anointed her its choice for game MVP (each team chooses a member of the opposing team). "Corrine did an amazing job for us," Firelands coach Kari Cooley said. "She was able to find her zone and delivered pitches. She worked the count, worked the batters and made them swing the bat. That forced our fielders to field and they did what they were supposed to do, too." The Falcons named Amherst catcher Lacey Easterday their MVP, and for good reason. Easterday caught a great game. Cooley said the team likes to be aggressive on the basepaths, but it was limited to one steal. The other five advancements came on wild pitches. "The big thing with Lacey is she's not afraid to pull the trigger and throw the ball," Amherst coach Rylee McClintock said. "I think that's huge in this game, when they know you're going to throw down and be aggressive. She just gives it her all in this game and it landed in her favor." Firelands took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the first, but Amherst answered in the third when it scored off a wild pitch. In the fourth, Parker Haponek drew a one-out walk for Firelands, stole second and then scored on Avery Kisner's single. Amherst rallied in the fifth when Avaleise Rodriguez singled with one out and two batters later Fury came to the plate with two outs and crushed a ball to right field, putting the Legends up 3-2. Firelands had six outs to tie the game, but Kennedy Spishak struck out the side in the fifth and Fury did the same in the sixth. Spishak also was excellent for Amherst, allowing one earned run on one hit and three walks with five strikeouts. "We came into this game knowing that we were the underdogs," Cooley said. "These girls showed up. There were some nerves, but these girls played as if it was Game 1 and they played because they loved the sport, not because there was a state title on the line." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.