Hot Stove softball: Firelands rolls to win, will play for state title Thursday

LORAIN — The Firelands Falcons gathered in front of their dugout Monday to sing "Happy Birthday" to their left fielder Ayla Green after Monday's 13-3, six-inning, win over Grafton Midview All Ohio Machine at Campana Park. Firelands is a win away from an even bigger celebration after advancing to Thursday's Class C (ages 13-14) Ohio Hot Stove state title game. Early on, No. 4 seed Grafton Midview looked in control, when it scored a first-inning run and two more in the second, as Gwen Powell and Jocelyn Rose walked and scored to give their team a 3-0 lead. The top-seeded Falcons came back to score a run in the bottom of the second with Green hitting an infield single that scored Julia Finnegan to tie the game at 3. Firelands' fortunes immediately changed when coach Alyssa Jordan made a switch in the third inning to move Scotlyn Rounds from first base to the pitchers' circle. Rounds struck out nine of the first 10 hitters she faced and only allowed two hits and three baserunners over the final four innings. "We all came together and played really well," Rounds said. "I did my part and worked with my catcher." Off the energy of Rounds' strikeout binge, the Falcons' bats came alive. Firelands took advantage of two Grafton Midview errors to score three runs in the third with Rounds delivering the first of her two doubles. Rounds and catcher Hannan Parsons scored in the third and finished with three runs apiece. "Our bats are always solid," Jordan said. "We always hit better with faster pitchers and they have two great pitchers that we love to hit off of. Scotlyn always turns the game around. You can count on her to throw strikes and throw hard." Firelands (14-2) extended its lead with a four-run fifth. Rounds and Parsons got the inning started with back-to-back doubles and Lilah Jordan and Sadie Keathley added singles. The Falcons had 10 hits. In the sixth, Morgan Bartley and Elianna Duke led off the inning with back-to-back singles for Firelands followed by a Rounds walk. Bartley scored on a wild pitch and third baseman Lyla Keathley came to the plate and blasted a one-out triple to the center-field fence to score a pair and invoke the 10-run mercy run rule. "I was nervous when I came up," said Keathley, who was unaware she could end the game with an extra-base hit. "I hit one and it was foul and then I had a walk-off hit and that was really nice." Lyla Keithly said the offense fed off Rounds' pitching performance. "We were really down in the dumps at first. I don't know what it was," she said. "After our pitcher struck out three in a row, it just got us motivated and excited." Grafton Midview first baseman Brailee Schubert was the only one who could figure out Rounds, as she singled in the third and doubled in the sixth. Duke started in the circle for Firelands and Ryah Martin started for Grafton Midview. Both starters went two innings and didn't factor in the decision. If Grafton Midview can win tonight to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament, the teams would meet again Thursday in Spencer with a title on the line. "These girls have been playing together for a few years and they're really coming along," Jordan said. "Many of these girls are moving to high school next year so they really want to win a championship together." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.