Mills' walk-off hit lifts Truckers to league win

NORWALK — Hayleigh Mills thought she had missed it — by inches. "When I got to first base, I was so bummed," Mills said. The Norwalk senior thought she had made the final out with the tying run at third base in Tuesday's SBC Lake Division game against visiting Sandusky. The Truckers were reeling, as they saw a 10-4 lead in the top of the seventh suddenly turn into an 11-10 deficit. Mills then appeared to ground out to third base — but the ball had rolled foul by just inches. The very next pitch, Mills made the Blue Streaks pay. She smoked a line drive to right-centerfield that scored Sophia Bores and Morgan Leber for the walk-off, 12-11 victory at Norwalk High School. "I really thought I had lost the game for us," Mills said. "But when I got to go back (to hit again), I just told myself to relax. I got my mistake out of the way, I just had to bounce back and win this one for my team." Norwalk (3-9, 2-2) was a strike away from winning the game still in the top of the seventh. But the Blue Streaks got the go-ahead base hit, as the home plate umpire ruled that catcher Meadow Muratori's tag was a split second late. In the bottom of the seventh, Bores singled for the Truckers. With two outs and with Leber already with three hits and three RBIs, Sandusky opted to intentionally walk the sophomore to face Mills, who then connected for her first-ever walk-off hit at any level of play. "I'm just telling myself that I'm made for a moment like that," Mills said to her approach as she saw Leber get put on first. "When they walked Morgan, I'm telling myself it was a bad decision and to make it hurt for them. "I've had a few clutch hits before, but never a walk-off," she added. "It's something to cherish in my senior year. It makes me look forward to the rest of the year. We have some momentum here the last couple weeks, and it feels good." In the middle of the seventh, Norwalk head coach Julie Schmidt told her team to simply refocus and put the ball in play. "We've been doing it all game, so just put the bat on the ball, one hit at a time," Schmidt said. "I told them to play within yourselves, put the bat on the ball and see what happens." Schmidt said it would have been a tough game to lose after her team had played so well for six innings before the seven-run seventh. "I could not be more proud of how they battled back against adversity," she said of her team. "They were resilient, they were fighters … but I'm not surprised. They've been that way this season, because they've had to be. So I'm just very proud of them for coming through in the end." Leber had a double and three RBIs with her three base hits. Haley Gockstetter had three hits, including two doubles, and three RBIs as well for the Truckers, who also got three hits from McKenna Ames (one double) and Muratori. "We just got some real solid, middle-of-the-order hitting from start to finish today," Schmidt said. "We just came together at the right time for a big win." After an 0-7 start, Norwalk is 3-2 over its last five games. The two losses came by a run each to Port Clinton and Willard, and also came down to the final strike in both games. Norwalk is back in SBC Lake Division action on Wednesday at Vermilion. "It's about momentum, and we're growing in our momentum right now," Schmidt said. "It's building. The girls are finding their niches within the game and the team. "We have some girls playing out of position, and they are finding ways to develop that chemistry and trust with each other." Sandusky 200 200 7 — 11 18 5 Norwalk 050 401 2 — 12 16 1 WP: Gockstetter; LP: Bogard 2B: (N) Gocksetter 2, Leber, Ames; (S) Parker; 3B: (S) Clinton