Johnstown softball team falls in state semifinal
Thursday, June 1, 2023
By Jarrod Ulrey
julrey@cbussports.com
Johnstown infielder Addie Triplett bats against Lewistown Indian Lake in a Division III state semifinal June 1 at Firestone Stadium in Akron. Photo: Jarrod Ulrey
Entrenched in a scoreless tie in a Division III state semifinal Thursday at Firestone Stadium, the Johnstown softball team’s fortunes changed quickly to begin the sixth inning.
Johnnies senior pitcher Macy Walters hadn’t given up a hit and had struck out six through five innings against Lewistown Indian Lake, but she felt pain in her left knee during her warmup pitch and had to be replaced.
“It sucks – there’s no other way to put it,” Walters said. “It definitely wasn’t what I expected. Especially in that situation, I didn’t want to be pulled for an injury. (The injury) was nothing I’d known of previously, so it was kind of a surprise.”
Senior Dakota Staffan, who went 8-0 as the team’s No. 2 pitcher, allowed three hits and three runs during the sixth inning for the only runs of the game.
With a 3-0 victory in their first state tournament appearance, Indian Lake advanced to the state championship game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday against Wheelersburg.
“It’s tough,” coach Mike Justice said. “We’ve been at it since September and we thought we had a great chance today, but unfortunately it didn’t work out in our favor. Hats off to them. They played a great game as well, and a couple plays is what it came down to. I told them after the game that it’s sports and there’s always going to be a winner and loser, and today wasn’t our day.
“As soon as I saw (Walters) try to throw her warmup pitch, you could tell her day was done. I thought Dakota did a fantastic job coming into that situation. To step into that spot, I couldn’t ask for her to be any better.”
Johnstown pitcher Macy Walters throws against Indian Lake in a state semifinal June 1 at Firestone Stadium in Akron. Photo: Jarrod Ulrey
The Johnnies, who finished 26-3 while the Lakers improved to the same record, had their best scoring opportunity in the fifth.
After two were out, Walters tripled off the center field wall and Staffan was intentionally walked. Senior infielder Addie Triplett then flew out to end the threat.
Walters said she didn’t experience pain in her knee during her at bat or running the bases before having to leave the game.
Staffan struck out center fielder Porscha Davis to open the sixth, but left fielder Katie Roby singled, right fielder Reece Martin reached on a fielder’s choice and then stole second and second baseman Haylee Edwards walked.
Catcher Mackenzie Dixon singled up the middle to drive in Martin for the first run and pitcher Madison Brentlinger tripled down the right-field line to drive in the other two.
“Obviously we wanted Macy to pitch that game, but any softball person can tell you that there’s a time in your career where you’ve got to be ready and go with the flow, do what I’ve always known,” Staffan said. “I think the zone tightened a little bit and they realized that so they were laying off a little bit and being really selective. They also scooted up on the plate, so it takes away your inside a little bit.”
Johnstown’s Dakota Staffan bats against Indian Lake in a state semifinal June 1 at Firestone Stadium in Akron. Photo: Jarrod Ulrey
Brentlinger walked four but gave up just three hits while striking out five as she tossed a complete game for the victory for the Lakers, who have a first-year coach in John Stahl.
“Our defense has been solid all year and we’re hitting .437 as a team, so you can’t get through the lineup without finding a .400 hitter,” Stahl said. “Their pitcher had us off-balanced and I feel really sorry for her. (Walters’ injury was) unfortunate and I never want to see that happen to anybody. We started hitting the ball really well and things turned out our way.”
Justice, who also is his first season heading the Johnnies, was an assistant two seasons ago when Johnstown also lost in a state semifinal. The Johnnies lost in a 2016 state semifinal as well.
“The great thing is that we started in September doing fall stuff and almost all the freshmen were there every day, so obviously we played winter league and got a lot of reps,” Justice said. “It’s a great group of girls top to bottom. I knew how talented we were, so it was a matter of making sure we stayed focused and stayed hungry. One of my biggest goals this year was to bring the fun back to the program, and even after today, hopefully I did that.”