Adalyn Zimmerman pitched a complete game against Ft Loramie, striking out seven, batted in three runs and scored two more. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
St. Henry’s Karlee Baumer brought the excitement with three hits and nine stolen bases in a U14 barn-burner. Teammate Adalyn Zimmerman knocked in three runs and scored two more, enough to overcome Fort Loramie, and Lauren Poeppelman’s 13 Strikeouts.
Minster, Oh – In the bottom of the seventh inning in U14 pool play, St. Henry’s Karlee Baumer stole home to tie the game for the third time. Moments later, Adalyn Zimmerman crossed the plate for the walk-off win.
Another thrilling finish at the Minster Classic, and another window into an oft-forgotten ingredient in the recipe for success in west central Ohio.
Alan Brads is a contributing columnist and writes sports at large for Press Pros Magazine.
What is that secret recipe?
If you’re from the area, it’s no secret at all. It starts with a culture that values sports, but more fundamentally, values perseverance, doing hard things to earn results, learning from setbacks, and never quitting. Throw in a few advantages like coaches who stay, communities that support, and good old-fashioned athletic genes, and there you go. Not so secret.
But the Minster Classic reveals one more piece to the puzzle.
The grind of a MAC/SCAL schedule prepares players to win games in the tournament. But do you ever stop and wonder what prepared them to play in their conference?
Hannah Gast collected two hits, including a ago-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning.
For one, the Minster Classic does.
Fort Loramie and St. Henry’s 14U softball game proved it. In a game featuring five lead changes, St. Henry’s Lady Redskins fired the last arrow, a two-run seventh inning ending in a walkoff win.
“Playing games like this will make us a lot better,” St. Henry pitcher Adalyn Zimmerman said. “Never give up, never back down, just keep going.”
That’s exactly what she did. Zimmerman threw seven strikeouts, batted in three runs and scored two more.
Competitions like that between young teams produce more developed and mature 9th-grade athletes than you’ll find about anywhere else.
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While the rest of the state might only consider the last four years of “iron sharpening iron,” from 9th-12th grade. The process has already been underway for half a decade for many of those 14U players. Teams composed of the same players year after year create a feedback loop that amplifies improvement. Prudent batters force pitchers to get better and throw more strikes, which forces batters to hone their swing, forcing pitchers to add some velocity, and so on.
St. Henry’s Macy Borgerding applies the tag to Leah Glass at third base to end the top of the sixth inning.
It’s surely not the first time St. Henry has faced Fort Loramie’s Lauren Poeppelman on the mound, who tossed 13 strikeouts in 7 innings. But St. Henry has learned, adapted, adjusted to find ways to get on base and take advantage when they do.
St. Henry’s leadoff hitter Karlee Baumer got aboard in all four plate appearances, three hits and an error. But she knew given the way Poeppelman was pitching, she couldn’t wait around for more hits to come. So she took matters into her own hands, and swiped 10 bases, none bigger than a sprint home to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh.
“It was exciting to tie the game three times,” Baumer said. “In the last inning, I just knew I had to get on base for my team. There was really no other option. I was pretty confident in myself that I was getting on base.”
These kids are ready for big moments against tough teams because they’ve been doing it for years.
Karlee Baumer beats the tag at third base for one of her nine steals.
Take Loramie’s Poeppelman for another example, who was on the mound in the fourth, clinging to a 4-3 lead with the bases loaded and two outs. After a quick mound visit, she fired three in a row into the zone for an inning-ending strikeout. Regardless of the final score, facing that moment against a team that can put bat to ball will pay dividends down the road.
On the other side, consider St. Henry pitcher Zimmerman. She saw her own team reclaim the lead, just for it to be squandered in the top of the seventh when communication broke down on a pop fly.
“It was very intense, but it was great to be on the mound,” Zimmerman said.
Fort Loramie’s Lauren Poeppelman struck out 13 batters.
Then she came to bat in the bottom of the seventh as the winning run, Baumer having just tied it with the steal home.
With two outs, she had to put bat to ball, not an easy task considering Poeppelman’s K count sitting at 13. But she did it. A liner up the middle put her on first, then a pair of steals moved her to third. On a shallow pop fly, the previous fielding error was returned in kind, and she scored the walk-off run.
“Touching home and scoring the winning run was an awesome feeling,” Zimmerman said. A feeling she’ll chase the rest of her career.
As a final example, Ayla Hoying stepped into the box for her second at bat with two runners on. Her first at-bat didn’t go her way she stood in and tattooed a ball to the left center field fence for a stand-up triple, then scampered home to take a 4-3 lead when a throw went offline.
For years these opponents have been driving each other to improve with moments like that, and now they’re ready for the next stage, where they’ll continue to do the same. And that’s the secret recipe for success.
St Henry’s Hannah Gast makes the tag at home plate.
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