Clyde tops Norwalk to keep Lake race alive

CLYDE — Nothing went right the first time Clyde played Norwalk. The Fliers' bus was late, and they had less hits than errors. But on Friday, Ella Howey and Maddie Dukeshire led Clyde's turnaround to keep some suspense in the SBC Lake Division title picture. Howey homered, Dukeshire struck out nine and the Fliers (12-6, 5-2) held off a late Norwalk rally to win, 5-3, at Joe Wilson Field. The Truckers (10-6, 6-1) now hold a one-game lead in the Lake with each team still having three games to play. "We've got to focus on the positives and learn from the errors and the mistakes," Norwalk coach Julie Schmidt said. "... Dukeshire is always a good competitor. We love going up against people that are good." For six innings, Dukeshire was the story of the night. After allowing 10 runs in five innings to Norwalk back on April 10, the senior was in control with six shutout frames. She followed a pretty simple recipe — spinning something to the inside corner, then painting the outside before coming back in or up. It worked, as Norwalk had just three hits in the first six innings. The Truckers mounted a rally in the seventh. Tyra Corbin drove in the first run, then CJ Bennett and Emily Skeel each added two-out RBI. But Dukeshire kept her composure and got a ground-ball out to second baseman Vanessa West to end the ballgame. Clyde also hit better this time around after Haley Gockstetter twirled a two-hitter in the first meeting. Howey provided the big blow, destroying a two-run home run to left center field to make it a 5-0 lead in the fifth. Howey is up to five home runs on her junior season after never having gone deep prior to this year. Clyde had struck for two quick runs thanks to a Karissa Smith walk, a Taitum Jeffrey infield single and three Norwalk errors in the bottom of the first. "We definitely didn't play the Truckers softball that we've been playing," Schmidt said. "Several errors early on put us down, so we had to play from behind for most of the game. Energy stayed up, which is good, but it's hard to play from behind." Clyde added another in the second when Mya Stiefel walked and Teaghan Smith and Karissa Smith followed with singles to get Stiefel home. Teaghan Smith had an especially impressive night. The sophomore hit two rocket singles and made a fantastic catch ranging into shallow left field from her shortstop spot. Both pitchers are bound for D-III Heidelberg, and they settled down as no runs were scored in the third or fourth innings. Howey's home run came with two outs in the fifth after Kennedi Long singled, and it turned out to be critical when Norwalk mounted its late rally. The Truckers close with Sandusky, Columbian and Perkins, and they'll hope to carry their strong seventh inning into finishing off their first-ever softball league title. "I liked the no-quit attitude," Schmidt said. "That's something this team thrives at. It's not over 'till it's over for them." Clyde still plays Columbian twice along with Sandusky. The Fliers will need help to snag a share of the title, but Friday night's performance has given them a chance. Norwalk 000 000 3 — 3 6 4Clyde 210 020 x — 5 6 0WP: Dukeshire; LP: GockstetterHR: (C) Howey