Otsego senior pitcher Lexi North celebrates after after a final out strike out during the seventh inning of a game against Eastwood Wednesday at Otsego High School. Visit www.sent-trib.com to view a photo gallery.
Scott W. Grau | Sentinel-Tribune
TONTOGANY — Otsego senior pitcher Lexi North went the distance as the Knights defeated Eastwood, 1-0, in eight innings Wednesday to clinch an outright Northern Buckeye Conference championship.
“That is amazing, obviously, to go back to back,” North said. “It is hard to do it once but to do it again two times, especially with new girls on the team.
“I feel like this team, we’ve been through so much this year, but we’ve stuck together. We knew our goals coming into this game, and it’s a big game honestly,” North continued.
“So, knowing to keep Eastwood off the board is a big thing for us because they have amazing bats and they are amazingly well-coached team with an amazing pitcher in the circle,” North continued. “We knew it was going to be a battle and we wanted to battle all the way through.”
Otsego, ranked fourth in the latest Division III state coaches’ poll, improves to 22-2 overall and 13-0 in the NBC with only a league game against Fostoria remaining.
Eastwood, which had a chance for a co-championship, fell to 20-4 and 12-2.
North struck out 14, walked three and allowed one hit while throwing 110 pitches, including 80 for strikes.
For North, it was a learning process from the first meeting between the Eagles and Knights. That was a much different game, only same result — an Otsego win.
On April 21, playing in much colder weather, Otsego hit five home runs to defeat Eastwood, 18-17, in 10 innings.
Despite two of the best pitchers in the NBC — North and Eastwood sophomore Cassie Kieper, facing off — the two teams combined for 32 hits and 12 errors, resulting in a three hour-plus game.
This time North and Kieper faced off in a pitchers’ duel, with Kieper striking out 10, walking four and allowing four hits and one run. She also threw 110 pitches, including 73 for strikes.
“Cassie pitched a great game. She’s a good pitcher and has a lot of speed,” Eastwood coach Joe Wyant said. “She did a good job, and our defense did a really good job today.”
North, who will pitch at Mercyhurst University next year, had the benefit of a walk-off run in the bottom of the eighth to win the game.
North said she took a lesson from that first meeting between the Knights and Eagles.
“I watched a lot of film on it. I just learned from the last time — that is all you can do after something like that,” North said.
“Obviously, I don’t enjoy giving up 17 runs (five were earned), so if I can learn something from it. It goes against me and our team, so we wanted to do better and that is what we did.”
Otsego coach Jason Colyer said that once Eastwood started swinging at rise balls, the message to North was keep throwing them.
“I think if the plan is working, there is no need to change it. So, credit to her for continuing to do that,” Colyer said.
In the bottom of the eighth, Otsego’s All-Ohio catcher Summer Berry led off with a triple to the center field wall, and she eventually scored the winning run.
Riley Rowe tried to squeeze Berry home with a bunt, but the Eagles’ defense held Berry at third while Rowe easily made her way to second base.
North was allowed to reach on an intentional walk, loading the bases, and Evelyn Rider forced in the game-winning run, walking on four pitches.
But the credit went to Berry, who was 2-for-3 at the plate — statisticians say 90% of the time, a leadoff triple results in a run.
“They had runners in scoring position at times and we did, too, and we’re thankful for Summer Berry, our senior, to get a lead-off triple in the eighth inning to get it started,” Colyer said.
North added, “I always call Summer a party-starter and that is what she did. I can’t be more thankful for her.”
First, Otsego had to subdue an Eastwood rally in the top of the seventh. Lilly Escobedo reached on an error and Sam Sibbersen and Grace Kingery walked, loading the bases with two outs.
North got pinch-hitter Jordan Appelhans to swing at a third strike, ending the threat.
“It was amazing. To have Summer behind the plate, that is something special. I could hear my team in my ear talking the entire time,” North said.
“So, I knew even if it wasn’t going to end in a strikeout, it was going to end in an out with them because they have my back.
“It’s something special to start seeing the fans standing up and start clapping, cheering, getting involved and that was amazing,” North continued. “I knew I had Otsego community on my side and this team on our side and that is just something special to have.”
Colyer said this was the way to win a league championship, not an error-filled 18-17 game.
“I expected us to score 17 runs again,” Colyer joked, then added, “I thought this was the way it should be for a clinching game, kind of back-and-forth, and both teams had opportunities and sometimes we could capitalize and sometimes we couldn’t.”
Rider led off the fourth with a double to center field, but she was stranded as Kieper struck out the side. Kiana Dingledine also had base hit for Otsego.
Jessyca Smith had Eastwood’s only base hit in the first inning, and she reached in the third on a hard grounder that got past the second baseman’s glove, but the Otsego scorekeeper ruled it an error.
Wyant was grateful for the opportunity to take on the defending champs with a shot at the title on the line.
“We just didn’t stay off the high pitch, but I’m really proud of our girls that put us in the position this year, to be in this game and to have a chance to win the league,” Wyant said.
“I guess that’s the big thing and they’ve done a good job all year.”
