North Union tops Hamilton Badin in regional softball

FAIRBORN – Emily Clark set the tone, and Madison Wedding sat them down when she had to for North Union Wednesday.

Clark hit a two-run home run in the third inning and Wedding pitched out of several jams in a 3-2 Division III regional semifinal win over Hamilton Badin at Wright State University.

North Union (26-4) will play the winner of Thursday's game between Williamsburg and Middletown Madison at noon Saturday for a trip to the state tournament. Badin goes home with a 26-4 record.

"Emily Clark is a trendsetter," said NU coach Dawn Draper of her catcher who reached base four times. "She sets the tone. If she hits, everyone else knows they can hit, too."

Wedding struck out seven and worked her way out of scoring situations in six different innings.

"I can't say enough about her coming through," Draper said of the freshman lefty. "Her composure is amazing, She also knows she has her defense behind her. Today we had each other's back."

After a scoreless first and a 1-2-3 second inning, the Lady Cats broke through in the third when Maddux Hughes led off with a single and Clark hit her home run to center field for a 2-0 edge.

The Lady Cats added their third run in the fifth when Clark reached third on a dropped fly ball in short right field and Cheyenne Wiley sacrificed her home.

Wedding breezed through Badin in the first two innings, including striking out the side in the second. Shelby Schmitt singled with one out in the third for the Lady Rams' first hit, but Wedding closed out that frame with a strikeout.

Badin put runners on second and third with one out in the fourth, but Wedding enticed a groundout and then got a strikeout to get out of that mess.

Badin finally got to Wedding in the fifth.

Lauren Moser led off with a double, and one out later Maddie Curtner singled to belatedly score Moser, who had initially stopped at third as North Union erred on Curtner's hit in the outfield.

Lauren Ahr then doubled in Curtner before Wedding stranded Ahr at second by getting a popout and a strikeout.

Wedding's defense helped out big time in the sixth with a 2-4-6 double play on a sacrifice of a base runner. The sacrifice was successful, but Wiley, who caught the ball at first base for the first out, saw the runner wandering off second base after the play and threw to shortstop Sidney Girton who chased down the runner and tagged her out.

The Lady Cats also tossed out a runner at third with one out in the final inning.

Emily Clark had a homer and single for the winners, Avery Clark singled and doubled, Abby Davis smacked two hits, and Girton, Maddison Ruhl and Hughes each swatted a hit.

Badin made only its second trip in school history to the regional, with the previous appearance in 1992. North Union, which lost in last year's Div. III state semifinals, is in its seventh regional since 2002.

"This was not easy. I'm very proud of the girls," Draper said. "We look forward to being back on Saturday."

dmcphers@nncogannett.com

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Twitter: @starsportsdenny