A Gahanna player sneaks a peak at the runner-up presentation after she and her teammates took the district title by upsetting Olentangy Liberty 9-6. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Logan Gapen)
Propelled by two home runs and 14 hits, the Lions are headed to the regional for the second time in four seasons.
Lewis Center, OH – Losers of six of their final nine games of the regular season and with double-digit losses overall, the Gahanna Lincoln softball team entered its Division I district final matchup looking for a second consecutive postseason upset.
The Lions typically found themselves in the opposite role most of the past two decades, though, and they played like a confident, attacking unit almost from the onset against third-seeded Olentangy Liberty on Thursday at Olentangy.
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Backed by two home runs and 14 hits overall, eighth-seeded Gahanna is headed to the regional tournament after posting a 9-6 win.
“When we were down and they would get momentum, we just realized we needed to come back and were just looking for our pitch,” Lions senior first baseman Madi Hall said. “We just swung hard and swung fast.”
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Gahanna (18-11), which won its second district championship in four seasons under coach Matt Bailey, was coming off a 2024 season in which it lost in the first round of the tournament.
The Lions had won 10 district titles in 13 seasons from 2008-21 under former coach Jim Campolo and will return to familiar territory when they play Friday’s Berea-Midpark-Mentor winner in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. May 28.
“We expected to be here,” Bailey said. “Going into the drawing, I kind of polled my seniors to see who they wanted to play, and they wanted to play (sixth-seeded Olentangy) Orange and wanted to play Liberty. They happened to be in the district, so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but let’s go after it. Our schedule is an absolute murderer’s row. We were only 16-11 (heading into the tournament, but) I’m not saying we’re sneaking up on people with us being Gahanna Lincoln. We played (several) state-ranked teams this year and we had everything it takes to advance.”
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And just like that, the Liberty bases-loaded threat was over as Gahanna shortstop Kira Bailey tags Liberty’s Karoline Jordan to complete the back end of a double play.
Hall got the action started in the second inning when she led off with a home run.
She also singled during a four-run third inning, had an RBI-single in the fifth, and helped clinch it in the bottom of the seventh with her glove.
Liberty junior Emily Chevalier, who pitched the first two-plus innings and returned to pitch the final three innings, opened the seventh by reaching on an error. Gahanna senior pitcher Grace Miller then struck out freshman catcher Avery Garrett but allowed back-to-back singles to senior right fielder Caroline Lutwen and junior left fielder Karoline Jordan to load the bases.
Junior first baseman Reese Joachim then hit a hard liner toward first base that Hall knocked down, stepped on first for the second out and then threw to sophomore shortstop Kira Bailey to complete a double play that ended it.
“It was a hard line drive hit, and I kind of just reacted,” Hall said. “Luckily my body just smothered the ball and I got it with my bare hand, dove to first base and just heard everybody screaming (throw to second). It was a very memorable play for me, all a fever dream. Whatever I can do to lay my body on the line, I might as well do it.
Madi Hall celebrates on her way to home plate after sending a shot over the fence.
“This one means a lot. Last year we lost in the first round of the tournament, so it really let us down a lot. For us seniors, it was a full-circle moment since we played them freshman year. We just want to make another run and go deep in the tournament.”
Liberty tied it at 1 in the second on an RBI-single by Jordan, the No. 8 hitter.
Joachim, who was batting ninth, did the biggest damage for the Patriots in the fourth to help her team get back in it.
The Lions opened the third with four consecutive hits to take a 3-1 lead. Miller then slugged a two-run homer over the center-field fence to make it 5-1.
Liberty cut it to 5-4 in the fourth when Garrett opened with an infield single and moved to second on a fielder’s choice, Jordan was hit by a pitch, and Joaquim smashed a three-run homer to left.
Joaquim was filling in for freshman Rylen DePaul, who was out with sickness.
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The Patriots finished 20-7 overall despite having just two seniors under coach Joe Abraham, who was in his first season heading the program after previously heading Thomas Worthington’s program from 2002-08 and then coaching at the college level from 2009-22.
Liberty pitcher Emily Chevalier knocks down a hard line drive but somehow manages the toss to first for an out.
“Most everybody will be back next year,” Abraham said. “They hit us. There was not much we could do. We were at the bottom of the order and we kept battling. There were a couple missed opportunities for us, but they just hit.”
Due to the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s expansion from four to seven divisions this spring, six Central District teams advanced to regional play.
Top-seeded Lancaster will face Olentangy at 2 p.m., followed by Delaware vs. Grove City at 5 Wednesday at a site to be determined. Marysville will meet Southwest District champ Lebanon in another regional Wednesday.
“(Our offense) was really good,” Miller said. “I had a home run myself, so it felt really good, and it was nice as a pitcher knowing I have people behind me. (The play by Hall) was amazing to see, and to be able to celebrate with my team because I knew Madi was going to be able to get that and put her body on the line. I was really excited and happy about it.
“This feels really good because my freshman year we were in the exact same spot. It was an amazing moment, and we’re super excited to get here and do this.”
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