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RICHMOND -- The Buckeye Local softball team walked its way past Jefferson County foe Edison.
The Panthers drew nine walks in the game, including six in the game-changing sixth inning , enroute to a 14-2 victory against the Wildcats on an chilly and overcast Saturday afternoon at the Edison Unified Sports Complex.
"We worked on a plan," first-year Buckeye Local (8-12) head coach Troy Fetty said. "We had a plan, we followed and that is what happened. We told the girls to see the ball and to square it up and good things will happen.
"They dominated us the first time we played them. Edison has a great program. Coach Bendle is a great coach. They are what we want to be."
The Wildcats shut out the Panthers, 9-0, at home earlier in the season. Buckeye Local did not have a hit in the first meeting.
Edison led 1-0 with one out in the top of the sixth on Saturday when the wheels fell off for the Wildcats. The hosts allowed seven runs in the inning, four of which came on a bases-loaded walks, while another two came on a throwing error.
"It was un-Edison like," Edison (10-15) head coach Spencer Bendle said. "That's not what you want to have happen going into sectionals."
Edison's pitchers combined to throw 60 pitches in the sixth, most of which were outside the strike zone.
"When you give up free passes and you don't make them earn the bases, those things come back to haunt you and they certainly did today," Bendle said. "We got behind in the count. Buckeye Local clearly was being very patient. They made our pitchers work. We just did not locate our pitches very well."
The visitors scored seven more in the seventh.
Samantha Ankrom was the beneficiary of the all run support as the sophomore picked up the win inside the circle. She struck out one while walking two.
"Every time we take the field we know we have a chance to win," Fetty said.
Katie Fluharty, who no-hit the Panthers earlier in the season, started and took the loss for the Wildcats. She struck out five, but walked seven in 5 1/3 innings of work. She was replaced by Becka Evans, who started the game behind the plate, with one out in the fifth. Evans pitched the rest of the way, striking out two and walking two, in 1 2/3 innings of work.
The Wildcats outhit the Panthers, 8-7, but the nine walks and four errors doomed Edison.
The hosts led 1-0 going into the fourth when the visitors appeared to tie the game on a home run, however, the batter missed third base on her way around the bases and she ended up being called out keeping the home team in the lead.
"We lost out on that home run, but the girls bounced back," Fetty said. "We talked to the kids about moving on and going to the next pitch, and we did that."
For the Panthers, Josey Meddles delivered an RBI double, Alexa Williams tallied two singles and an RBI and Avah Williams delivered a two-run single. Also, Morgan Richardson and Alli Trekel each collected an RBI single, Isabella Hepburn produced a single and an RBI, while Rylie White, Kassidy George and Ankrom all added an RBI.
Mychi Stewart tallied a single, two doubles and an RBI to lead the way offensively for the Wildcats. Also, Pressley Meadows delivered a solo home run, Savanna Ankrom collected two base hits while Anna Wadas added one.
Audrey Scott walked, stole second and scored on Stewart's double to give Edison a 1-0 lead in the third.
The Wildcats kept the lead until the game got away from them in sixth.
In the sixth, White, Hepburn and Ankrom all drew bases-loaded walks with one out giving the Panthers a 3-1 lead. Following the second out, George walked to bring home another run, Trekel plated the fifth run of the inning with a single and the final two runs scored on a throwing error giving Buckeye Local a 7-1 lead.
Meadows answered with a solo home run in the home half of the inning, but the Wildcats were not able to get any closer.
Buckeye Local did plenty of damage with its bats in the seventh.
"They have been playing well," Bendle said. "He and I talked about that. They certainly have improved. They are playing with a lot of confidence."
Edison nearly extended its advantage to 2-0 in the fifth, but Meddles, the Panthers' centerfielder, robbed Fluharty of a home run when she caught the ball up against the fence to end the inning.
As is often the case, a big play defensively sparked Buckeye Local's offense in the next inning.
Fetty praised his team's patience at the plate.
The Panthers were 1-8 following their earlier loss to the Wildcats, but Buckeye Local's fortunes have changed since then.
"We won five straight games, and we have won seven of our last 10 games," Fetty said. "We are going to keep working. We are taking things one day at a time. We are getting there.
"I have a good coaching staff. The kids have responded. They have bought into what we are doing. They expect to win.
"We tell him to take good swings and good things will happen. We are limiting our mistakes, and we are taking advantage of the other teams' mistakes. We want to barrel the ball up. We are doing a good job on the bases. We are pitching better.
"We are playing well. That is what you want to see going into tournament time. We keep getting better. We are believing in ourselves. We expect to win every time we step onto the field."
Both teams are scheduled to play at 5 p.m. Monday in the Ohio Division III Eastern District Sectional Tournament. Edison, the No. 7 seed, is slated to play No. 10 seed Sandy Valley at home.
"I know enough that if we don't show up and play with urgency and we don't do the little things we need to do that they are good enough to beat us," Bendle said about the Cardinals. "We let them back into the game today. We left a lot of runners on base. We didn't do the little things. We have to do a better job of doing the little things. We have struggled to score in the last couple of ballgames."
Meanwhile, Buckeye Local, the No. 13 seed, will play No. 4 seed Garaway on the road.
"We have been playing consistent softball," Fetty said. "We have played two games against two OVAC semifinalists. We have lost to Toronto twice, but they were both close games.
"You don't lose games, you learn. I learned that from (Weir High coach) John Leary. You learn from every game. It is a learning experience. You learn when you lose games, and you learn when you win games."
Buckeye Local 14, Edison 2
Buckeye Local 0-0-0 0-0-7 7 – 14 7 1
Edison 0-0-1 0-0-1 0 – 2 8 4
BUCKEYE LOCAL (8-12): Ankrom WP (1K, 2BB) and Trekel. Richardson S, RBI; Meddles D, RBI; Al. Williams 2S, RBI; White RBI; Hepburn S, RBI; Ankrom RBI; Av. Williams S, 2RBI; George RBI; Trekel S, RBI.
EDISON (10-15): Fluharty LP (5 1/3IP, 5K, 7BB), Evans (1 2/3IP, 2K, 2BB) and Evans and Stewart (6). Stewart S, 2D, RBI; Fluharty S; P. Meadows HR, RBI; Ankrom 2S; Wadas S.