Akron Manchester lost 4-2 to Liberty Union in Thursday's OHSAA Division V softball state semifinals.
AKRON, Ohio – The dream of a softball state title for Manchester came to end on Thursday with a 4-2 loss to Liberty Union in the OHSAA Division V state semifinals at Firestone Stadium.Despite the loss, the players were still in good spirits after the game, soaking in the atmosphere of playing in the state semifinals, knowing it was something only four Manchester teams had done before them.
“It’s the coolest experience I think we’ve ever experienced,” senior shortstop Alli Hodgkinson said. “I know from our freshman year all we wanted was go to the state , that was always our end goal.” Trailing 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, Manchester tried to rally off Liberty Union relief pitcher Eden Wilson as Cassidy Perry and Alli Hodgkinson connected with back-to-back, two-out RBI doubles to cut the lead to 4-2. “I think truly that whole inning, we kind of just said, ‘Let’s be selfless, let’s play for each other,’” said Hodgkinson, who had a pair of hits on the day. “I think at the beginning it was definitely like, oh my gosh, there’s so many people here and a little bit of nerves. We picked it back up and we backed the next person up. I think that’s what really helped us.” But that was all the offense could muster, as Wilson retired Rachel Baker to end the inning. Manchester then went in order in the sixth and a one-out single by Cayleigh Bowe in the seventh was the last baserunner of the game for the Panthers.After both teams went scoreless through the first two innings, Liberty Union got a two-run single by Emmalee Putnam in the top of the third to give last season’s Division III state champions a 2-0 lead. Manchester tried to respond in the bottom of the inning, as Leah Page and Cayleigh Bowe led off with back-to-back singles and were moved up a base each on a sacrifice bunt by Saige Rankin, but Shultz was able to retire the next two hitters to end the threat. Liberty Union came back to the plate and scored two more in the fourth on an RBI triple by Alexis McCoy and an RBI groundout by Masie Buskirk to make it 4-0. The Panthers again tried to respond, but with one out and a runner on second after a ground rule double by Kailyn Eshbaugh, Lilly Konan singled to right and the pinch runner was thrown out at home plate. “We were like one hit away two or three times,” Manchester coach Jim Morehart said. “We just didn’t come up with that big hit. But we had a great year and I am proud of these kids.” Shultz got the start for the Lions and went the first four innings, allowing no runs on five hits and striking out five to pick up the win. Wilson went the last three, allowing two earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Rachel Baker went the distance in the circle for the Panthers, giving up four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out six. She finishes her senior campaign 22-5 with an ERA of 1.63 and 247 strikeouts. Baker was amazed at the support from the community, as she looked up from the circle in the first inning and saw a Firestone Stadium crowd filled with red and black, screaming for the Panthers. “It was an unreal experience just looking up and seeing like, how many people came to support us,” Baker said. “You never realize how many people were cheering you on the whole way.” If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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