Crestview pushes past Edison late

CLYDE — Edison had opportunities. The third-seeded Chargers had runners on in each of the first four innings, but never found a timely hit. In the fifth inning, No. 2 Crestview got a big two-out, two-run single from No. 9 hitter Bella Hillman and Edison couldn't recover in a 3-1 Division V district semifinal loss at Clyde High School on Thursday. "We've been very aggressive all year and I told myself and the coaches going into this that I wasn't going to stop being aggressive," Edison coach Jason Caponi said. "We weren't going to shy away. I think it kind of bit me in the butt a couple times. That's the way we want to play." The Chargers finish the season with a record of 20-7. "I told the girls we played them the third game of the season and they beat us 10-5 and we didn't look like we belonged on the field with them," said Caponi of a home meeting against Crestview on March 27. "All we wanted to do each game is get better and we got a lot better this year. "I'm so proud of them. We got 20 wins and won the conference. We have a lot of things to be happy about and work on next year." Edison had chances early against Crestview (23-2) pitcher Chesnie Patton, but never cashed in. In the first inning, Stella Brown reached on a fielder's choice before stealing second and third. After a strikeout, she was picked off third on a rocket of a throw by Cougars catcher P.J. Endicott. In the second, Abby Cloud singled, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on a sacrifice bunt. Ivy Kluding also laid down a bunt, but instead of a throw to first, Endicott got Cloud in a rundown and she was tagged out. In the third inning, Peyton Bissell singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Natalie Desautels also singled, but Patton bounced back with two strikeouts to keep the game scoreless. In the fourth, Lariah McMinn roped a shot into the right-center gap. She was comfortably into second, but was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple. "We didn't get the hit we normally we get," Caponi said. "Her changeup is incredible. That's what kept us from getting that big hit. It's in the back of our head about whether she was going to throw it or not. We were a little bit late or way early. We didn't barrel one up when we needed it the most." Crestview took advantage of its first opportunity. Cloud was stout early in the circle for Edison, but the Cougars got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. With one out, Bria White walked before a single by Mallory Ringler. A sacrifice bunt moved the two into scoring position with two outs. Cloud struck out Hillman the first time through the lineup, but Hillman took the first pitch she saw and sent it back up the middle for a 2-0 lead. Edison didn't go quietly. Desautels singled on the first pitch of the sixth inning and went to second on a bad throw to first. She scampered to third on a wild pitch and scored on Brown's run-scoring single. "That was huge," Caponi said. "I called time and went out there in the fifth inning and told them we needed to get that last out and that we'd go in and do what we did all year. We were putting the ball in play everywhere." The inning quickly fizzled out though as Patton got a groundout back to herself and two more strikeouts. Crestview quickly snatched the two-run lead back. Endicott tripled with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning before scoring on a sacrifice fly. The Chargers went down in order in the top of the seventh inning to end the game. Cloud allowed just four hits while striking out eight. Edison 000 001 0 — 1 7 1Crestview 000 021 x — 3 4 1WP: Patton. LP: Cloud2B: (E) McMinn. 3B: (C) Endicott