Throughout the season, the Aurora Greenmen softball team has needed one big inning to seize control. The shoe was on the other foot when Canfield was fueled by a five-run fifth inning to defeat the Greenmen 12-2 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II regional semifinal last Thursday at Nordonia High School’s Memorial Field in Macedonia.
“We felt like we were prepared, we felt good about who we were and felt we could go in there and play that game and challenge them but things just did not go our way,” noted Coach Sam Petrash.
The teams engaged in a pitching dual in the first four innings with the Cardinals holding a 1-0 advantage after senior pitcher Malena Toth hit a RBI-single to left field in the top of the third inning. Despite working some deep counts against the Cardinals’ senior hurler, the Aurora (24-2, 14-0) squandered several scoring opportunities.
Senior pitcher McKennah Metzger wilted in the fifth inning, surrendering five runs on four hits and two errors, giving the Cardinals a 6-0 cushion. The seventh-year coach ackowledged that the Canfield batters did a good job adjusting to the Coastal Carolina University commit’s pitches by pulling them but Aurora also did it itself no favors by committing several fielding errors.
According to Petrash, it was a stark contrast to how defensively sound the Greenmen had been this season.
“It was frustrating because it was a not a reflection of our team,” he said. “Our team has been very solid defensively. I would say that is the staple of our team, a strong defense and it is something we emphasize and work hard on. To see a little bit of struggle on the defensive side was frustrating but it happens to everybody, and it happens to the best of them. Unfortunately for us, it happened to us at the wrong time.”
Sophomore left fielder Lailah Bohannon delivered a two-run double to left field in the bottom of the sixth frame, cutting the lead to 6-2 but the Cardinals responded with another big inning in the top of the seventh, scoring six more runs to seal the game.
Although Metzger allowed 12 runs (four earned) on 14 hits, two walks and struck out six batters in seven innings, Petrash said that she was committed keep going in what shaped up to be her final career varsity game as a Greenmen.
“That is awesome,” he added. “You want your players to compete for the full game regardless of what is going on in the field. You just keep battling and you keep competing and then she did that. She continued to battle the whole game. We played like it was 0-0 until the end and that is what she did. I am very proud of her. She could not have given any more than she gave us that day.”
Ultimately the Greenmen were outhit 14-3 and could not overcome Toth, who also hurled a complete game by allowing only two runs on three hits, five walks while fanning six batters. Petrash said Toth had a lot of movement on her pitches so it was very difficult for Aurora batters to square her up.
With Aurora’s season ending, Petrash said that players held their heads up high knowing they had clinched the first district championship since the 2012 season and were graduating Metzger and senior right fielder Madeline Dalessandro as four-time Suburban League American Conference champions.
“We thanked our seniors for our leadership and consoled them,” he noted. “It was their last game in their high school careers. Madeline Dalassandro and McKenna Metzger gave a tremendous amount to this program over the last four years and created a good legacy for our program.”
According to Petrash, winning the district title was great feeling for not only the program but also the community.
“A lot of the people that have worked behind the scenes in our program that have helped develop our players through the youth programs and it was fun to see all of the people in the community enjoy the ride and we tried to give back by representing our community and try to win a State Championship,” he said.
Petrash acknowledged it will be no easy feat replacing Metzger and Dalessandro but the team does return the bulk of its core including its talented junior class.
As tough as it was for the season to be over, Petrash said that the returnees would certainly use their final game of the 2024 season as inspiration for next year.
“I know they will use this as motivation to come back next year and try to go further but by their character and who they are, they will compete anyways and go out there and give the best that they can,” he added.
