Conner’s 3-2 lead with two out in the bottom of the seventh against Notre Dame seemed secure.
Until it wasn’t.
The Pandas rode Addi Zinser’s double and Ava Auberger reaching first on an error to a 4-3 win in Monday’s girls Ninth Region softball semifinal at Thomas More Softball Field.
Next for Notre Dame: two-time defending champion Highlands, a 7-4 semifinal winner over Cooper, for the title at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Pandas won their fifth straight and ninth of their last 11 and – if you listen to Auberger – maybe regained some respect.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Auberger said. “We started off great and then we were the underdog. Nobody respected us, but now we’ve gained the respect back. We’re here to win this thing now.”
Notre Dame coach Chris Schreiber told Zinser she was due for something good.
“Zinser’s been hitting the ball well all year,” Schreiber said. “She had a little bit of a slump, and I told her, ‘You’re due for a big one’.”
Zinser’s double off the Cougars’ Mollie Sharp scored Lucy Dillon, who singled, went to second on Ava McKinley’s grounder and reached third on a passed ball. Auberger’s grounder off Conner (18-12) shortstop Bre Meredith scored Zinser.
“I wanted to be the one that walked it off,” Auberger said.
The left-handed Sharp struck out nine in her final high school game. What you may not have known – she was in the circle with an injury to her right, landing, leg.
“Some of her spin pitches weren’t working the best ‘cause she couldn’t put the effort with the leg on there,” Conner coach Shawn Sproles said.
If you liked low-scoring softball, Monday’s first two innings was your kind of game, and not just because Abby Turnpaugh and Sharp and came into the tournament with 199 and 263 strikeouts, respectively – both fanned three.
Notre Dame (19-7) opened the scoring in the third on Auberger’s two-run double, which plated Dillon and McKinley. Conner matched the Pandas with a pair of runs in the fourth on Ciarra Morgan’s single – Jalyn Cain came home – and Meredith scoring on Ellie Ortiz’s fielder’s choice.
Cain’s two singles led Conner’s offense.
Meredith’s single in the top of the seventh scored Sharp, who reached first on an error and went to second on Cain’s single.
Dillon opened the bottom of the seventh with a single. After Sydney Sheely struck out and McKinley grounded out, Zinser’s double to center plated Dillon.
“What we proved this year is that we can fight for each other,” Sproles said.
Highlands 7, Cooper 4
Seven Bluebirds had at least one hit. Layla Zepf had three, and Michelle Barth and Bailey Markus added two each (including her 200th career hit).
As nice as Highlands’ (26-12) offense was – the Bluebirds finished with 11 hits – Markus’ defense in center field in the fifth inning was possibly more impressive. She threw out Maddie Childress at the plate for the second out and went parallel to the turf to snag Grace Cline’s liner for the third out.
Markus said she’s famous in travel ball for both.
“But when it comes to high school, I just do what I can to help the team,” Markus said. “Keep the ball in front, keep the runs low so that we can score more and end up having a winning game.”
Highlands’ Kaitlyn Dixon was strong on the mound – she struck out nine.
“Kaitlyn is a gutsy pitcher; she keeps going at it,” Highlands coach Milt Horner said.
Cooper coach Rusty Scott said Dixon’s rise ball was somewhat troublesome.
“Early her rise was popping,” Scott said. “If you can get enough pitches on a pitcher’s arm, her rise flattens out. We didn’t get her rise to flatten out ‘til the last inning. She kind of dominated us early on.”
The Bluebirds touched Cooper’s (20-11) Lily Spraker for two first-inning runs. Barth’s double plated Markus, and Barth came home on an error.
Before being thrown out by Markus in the fifth, Childress singled home Ainsley Scroggie, who had singled and stolen second.
Zepf’s single in the fifth scored Payton Brown, and Barth and Dixon scored on an error. Sacrifice flies by Morgan Pompilio and Brown sent home Julia Luhn and Markus in the sixth.
In the seventh, Cline’s sacrifice fly scored Childress, Kailey Milburn doubled home Alivia Scott, and a Sadie James single plated Milburn.
Markus said Highlands’ 4-3 loss to Notre Dame on May 7 has been on her mind, Wednesday’s opponent in the 9th Region title game and the only thing in their way of a three-peat.
“To say the least, it’s been in my nightmares for the past couple weeks,” Markus said. “But I think it’ll be a different game on Wednesday. We’re coming back with a vengeance.”
In the 10th Region tournament at Scott, Campbell County eliminated George Rogers Clark, 21-6 in four innings. The Camels meet Harrison County, a 6-2 winner over Bracken County, in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Bishop Brossart was not as fortunate – the Mustangs fell to Montgomery County, 11-0 in five innings.
CONNER 000 200 1 – 3 6 2
NOTRE DAME 002 000 2 – 4-7 1
Sharp and Lightner; Turnpaugh and Zinser. WP-Turnpaugh (18-6). LP-Sharp (13-10). 2B-Auberger (ND), Zinser (ND).
Records: Conner 18-12, ND 19-7.
COOPER 000 010 3 – 4 11 1
HIGHLANDS 200 032 x – 7 11 2
Spraker and Furnish; Dixon and Barth. WP-Dixon (9-5). LP-Spraker (9-7). 2B-Barth (H), Zepf (H), Milburn (C).
Records: H 26-12, C 20-11.