Colonel Crawford shocked by Rams' rally

• Alexus Burkhart was just a triple away from the cycle.
• Burkhart hit a towering homerun to deep centerfield
• Lady Rams scored seven runs in the seventh inning to steal the important N10 win.
• Teams will meet again on Tuesday. Sure to be an exciting game again.

NORTH ROBINSON – The Colonel Crawford Lady Eagles knew that their showdown with Northern 10 leader Upper Sandusky was going to be possibly the biggest game of the year. The Lady Rams were just one game ahead of Colonel Crawford for the N10 lead and after their exciting game on Monday night, the Lady Rams are two games ahead. Upper used a seven run seventh inning to steal the comeback win 9-8.

"They are the comeback kids, you can quote that. They never get down on each other and no matter the score, they are cheering for their teammates," Upper Sandusky head coach David Young said.

Colonel Crawford seemed to be on their way to running away with the ball game with a two run first inning and a four run second. With a 6-1 lead, the rain started to fall and the pitcher's mound seemed to be gaining a lot of water making it slippery for Lady Ram freshman pitcher Balyc Hacker.

"That second inning was rough for us. Our pitcher was slipping and we just kept playing through it. They were able to get it in good shape later in the game and Blayc was able to gain some footing and she pitched really well in the last five innings.

Hacker allowed six runs in the first two innings, but she shut down the Lady Eagles over the final five allowing just a pair of runs in the fifth. Colonel Crawford head coach Chuck Huggins noticed his team did not hit the ball very well in the middle innings.

"We started out hot, but we kind of stopped hitting the ball in those middle innings. As a coach, I will never pit the blame of a loss on any one certain aspect. We as a collective group did not close out the game like we should have. We have played well all season long and we just failed to close it out tonight."

The seven run comeback was just the latest in a chapter of dramatic comebacks for the Lady Rams. Earlier, the Lady Rams completed a ten run comeback against Mohawk, but Young knew that this one was a little more meaningful with the league lead on the line.

"It has been our fourth or fifth comeback this year, but none have been as dramatic as this. We both needed a win in this game. I was telling our girls to go up there and be patient. We have been chasing high ones all night and I told them that (Sydney) Studer would give them something they could hit. We were patient in that last inning," Young said.

The Lady Rams (17-2, 12-1 N10) now hold a two game lead in the N10 over Colonel Crawford. The teams will meet again Tuesday for their series finale at Upper Sandusky. Hacker earned the win in the circle and led her team in hitting with three singles, drove in a run and scored a run. Sophomore Cassidy Rall and freshman Madeline Dyer both added a single and a double a piece. Junior Jaya Smalley added a pair of singles. Sophomore Maddison Stansbery and senior Katie Taylor both added two RBI hits in the top of the seventh.

Dropping to 17-6 11-3, the Lady Eagles still have important games left. They travel to Upper Sandusky and still have two games left with second place Carey later in the week. The Lady Eagles' N10 hopes are very much alive.

Colonel Crawford got one of the best individual offensive performances in the N10 this season from leadoff hitter sophomore Alexus Burkhart. She was just a triple away from the cycle with a single, a two RBI double, and a two-run bomb of a homerun to dead center. For the day, she finished with four RBI, three stolen bases, scored two runs and drew a walk. Sophomore Kerri Reynolds was the only other Lady Eagle to post two hits with two singles. All but two Colonel Crawford players added hits.

"I told the girls to get home, get some food and finish up their studies. Once that final school bell rings tomorrow, they will come out and be ready to become a better softball team," Huggins said.

jfurr@gannett.com

419-610-5034

Twitter: @JakeFurr11