Relief from a freshman helps Wheelersburg win OHSAA Division 3 softball state championship

AKRON, Ohio – Wheelersburg looked to be on cruise control in the OHSAA Division III softball state championship game Saturday night. But Tuslaw wasn’t ready to go away. That’s when the Pirates handed the ball to a freshman pitcher to go get the last six outs.

Kaylynn Carter was up to the task and finished off the game to bring Wheelersburg a 5-2 win and the second state title in school history.

“We felt going into it that we were going to need Kaylynn,” Wheelersburg coach Teresa Ruby said. “We talked about when was the point that we would pull that trigger. I told her to get out there (to warm up) because I had that feeling it was coming.”

The point at which Ruby made the move was when Tuslaw pitcher Meridith Rankl led off the sixth inning with a double off starter AndiJo Howard with Wheelersburg holding onto a 4-2 lead. Seeing as how Tuslaw got its two runs in the inning before and seemed to be hitting Howard better as the game went on, it was time for the freshman to get her moment.

Carter, who was coming off a hip injury that limited her availability throughout the postseason, immediately induced a groundout to second base, but Rankl moved to third. Carter then struck out the next hitter and got the hitter after that to hit the ball right back to her for an easy out to end the inning.

“I have given her this message that I needed her to be ready for this moment,” Ruby said.

Tuslaw had one more chance in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Carter retired the first two hitters in just five pitches. After a walk, Carter struck out Macaira Fox to end the game.

“I have been really preparing myself to be ready for today,” Carter said. “Even if I wasn’t going to go in, I knew I was going to give myself the best shot if I was going to go in.”

Wheelersburg picked up a run between the two frames Carter pitched, as first baseman Macee Eaton hit a homer to dead center in the top of the seventh to push the lead to 5-2.

“It was great,” Eaton said. “I didn’t know if it was going to get over or not, so I just started sprinting. I am happy it went over.”

It was the 20th home run of the season for the University of Virginia commit, who had been walked intentionally twice earlier in the game after being walked twice in the state semifinal on Friday.

“Going into that at-bat, she has both sides totally into rooting for her and against her,” Ruby said. “Her being able to respond has been amazing.”

Wheelersburg got out to an early lead when Howard drove in two runs with a single in the first inning and Sydney Skiver had an RBI single in the third, followed by a sacrifice fly by Rileigh Lang to make it 4-0. At the beginning of both those scoring opportunities, Haley Myers had a hit and scored both times.

“I am just trying to produce for my team,” Myers said. “I know when I get on base, they have to make a decision if they are going to pitch to Macee or walk her.”

In the first four innings, the Tuslaw offense managed just two singles off Howard. But the Mustangs had two hits in the fifth to score their two runs, along with other balls that were hit hard but just hit right at a Wheelersburg defender. It was then that even Howard understood the decision to go to Carter and the sophomore let the freshman know she had confidence in her.

“Me and AndiJo are really close,” Carter said. “We work together well, and we complete each other on the mound. She knows if she struggles, I am going to have her back and vice versa. She came up to me and wanted to make sure I was ready to go because she knew how the game was going and they were starting to hit her.”

The freshman was more than ready. She had prepared herself for this moment.

“I knew I had prepared correctly, and I had full confidence,” Carter said.

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