Oak Glen wins second straight OVAC crown
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WHEELING -- Sydney and Sarah Brown have been hitting the ball well for Oak Glen all season.
So, naturally, it was one swing of the bat from each of them that made all the difference in the top-seeded Golden Bears' biggest game of the season so far in Friday's OVAC Class 4A championship game against rival Weir High at the I-470 Complex.
With McKayla Zoellers on first after a leadoff single to start the bottom of the third, Sydney Brown blasted a two-run shot over the fence in left center to break a scoreless tie, then, with two outs, it was Sarah's turn as she crushed a deep fly ball to straight-away center far over the fence, providing the run that proved to be the difference in a 3-2 victory to repeat at conference champs.
"Once again, Sydney and Sarah came through," Oak Glen head coach Sherrie Garner said. "We were fortunate to have those two home runs because they came back, and we were fortunate to have McKayla on base (for the first one).
"Sydney and Sarah are performers. They spent a lot of time working hard in the offseason. This is a special group of girls that have put a lot of time in and have the community behind them.
"It was a heckuva ball game and a heckuva challenge. Both teams showed up and it was a fight."
After the No. 2 seed Red Riders (18-7) had fought back to within one in the sixth, senior standout and Toledo commit Maddie McKay fanned the first two up in the top of the seventh on her way to a 1-2-3 inning to cap a complete game performance with six punchouts and just one walk.
"Maddie did a fantastic job," Garner said. "Her energy was good, and when they got on some pitches, we made some excellent plays in the field to back her up. Our fielders did an excellent job, when the ball put in play, we made outs."
Though the comeback came up short, Weir High head coach John Leary saw a lot of improvement from the first time the teams met, when Oak Glen won by the mercy rule, ahead of a potential meeting in next week's sectional tournament.
"First of all, congratulations to Oak Glen, Maddie pitched a (heck) of a game and they did what they had to do," Leary said. "This was certainly a lot different than the first time we played them. I've been telling the girls we don't win or lose, we win or learn, so we should learn something from this game -- and if we don't, shame on us.
"I thought we hit the ball better against (McKay) than we have in a long time, we didn't have as many strikeouts. The first game was 9-0, they pounded us. I think they knew they were in a game (Friday night). Hopefully we learn from it and we gain a little respect ... not that I don't think they respect us, but now they've seen we can play with them.
"Making the OVAC tournament has been a goal of ours since Coach (Frank) Sisinni was here in 2016, and we accomplished that. I told them you can't be dejected about accomplishing a goal, it's not what we wanted, but only one team wins the ultimate prize in any tournament. Obviously, they're not satisfied standing here, but they accomplished one of their goals and I'm proud of them."
After being held to just a single through three innings and watching the Browns hit their blasts, Weir got on the board in the top of the fourth with one of its own.
After fouling off a couple pitches in a 3-2 count, senior slugger Mallory Rosnick, who slugged a pair of homers in the Riders' semifinal victory over Harrison Central earlier in the week, crushed her third of the tournament for a solo shot to make it 3-1.
"Mallory has been ripping the ball these last few games and its nice to see at this time of the year," Leary said. "She came up big."
In the top of the sixth, Rylee Donaldson drew a walk and got to third on a two-base error when a throw trying to pick her off sailed deep into right field, then Rosnick singled with two outs to plate her and make it a one-run game.
Weir High ace Madison Angus gave her team every chance to pull the upset, striking out six, walking just one and shrugging off the tough inning to put up zeros the rest of the way.
"Madison pitched a (heck) of a game for us," Leary said. "She made a couple mistakes, hung a couple balls over the plate and they made her pay, but we kept battling and she kept battling.
"She's tough, she battles and she's gritty. Last year, that kind of situation would have affected her, but she's matured so much that this year she just grinds right through it."
McKay, though, had one more zero left to put up when it mattered most.
BACK-TO-BACK
With the win, Oak Glen defended its crown after winning the tournament last season on the way to an undefeated regular season. It is also the third consecutive OVAC tournament that the Golden Bears reached the final, as they were runners-up to St. Clairsville in 2019.
"This is a special venue, the OVAC is the best conference in the country," Garner said. "It's glorious to live in the Ohio Valley and have a conference like this. Tom Bechtal and his comrades do a great job for the girls. The girls set this as one of their goals and accomplished it.
"It's a special night. The weather was nice, the families were here for it and we had a lot of support, And, it's extra special to have two teams from Hancock County, it shows what these girls have done through the years. They've been competing against each other since they were eight-years-old."
UP NEXT
Weir High: Will battle St. Clairsville on Monday before taking on Fairmont Senior to open the Region 1, Section 1 tournament on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the results of the opening round being played Monday between North Marion and East Fairmont.
Oak Glen: Does not play again before opening sectionals, also Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the first-round best-of-three, when it will welcome the winner of that matchup to northern Hancock County.
"Winning this carries the winning energy into the sectionals," Garner said.
OVAC Class 4A Championship
At the I-470 Complex
No. 1 Oak Glen 3, No. 2 Weir High 2
Weir High 0-0-0 1-0-1 0 -- 2 4 0
Oak Glen 0-0-3 0-0-0 x -- 3 6 1
WEIR HIGH (18-7): Angus (LP, 6IP, 3R, 3ER, 6H, 6K, 1BB) and Aperfine. Rosnick HR, S, 2RBI; Kauffman S; Baker S.
OAK GLEN (21-2): McKay (WP, CG, 2R, 2ER, 4H, 6K, 1BB) and Sa. Brown. Sy. Brown HR, 2RBI; McKay D, S; Sa. Brown HR; Munoz S; Zoellers S.