These Falcons fly together: Complete team effort gives Austintown Fitch softball a regional title with 11-1 win over Walsh Jesuit
Sydnie Watts (No. 5) celebrates her home run in the regional final with her teammates
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – As Sydnie Watts rounded the bases after hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, her Austintown Fitch teammates formed a circle and waited for her at home plate. As she stomped on the plate with her right foot, they all fell down.
That teamwork was indicative of the type of day the Falcons were having at Youngstown State as they defeated Walsh Jesuit 11-1 in six innings to capture an OHSAA Division I regional title.
“What can you say, we have 19 players in the dugout and all of them are going crazy for each other,” Fitch head coach Steven Ward said. “It was just top to bottom. You know they really came out to show everybody that we really wanted this game.”
Every hitter in the Fitch lineup recorded at least one hit in the game, as the Falcons racked up 13 hits on the day to go along with four walks and one hit by pitch. It was the first time in four games that the offense had scored more than two runs, but Ward felt like the offense was always in a good place.
“There were just shots that weren't landing,” Ward said. “We just told them to stay steady. We worked on a little bit of bat path and moving through and just telling them to be patient. Boy did they wait and really drive on the ball today and make the correct adjustments throughout.”
The Falcons scored their first run in the second inning when Sam Severn hit a fly ball that was dropped in right field and Abby Toth singled behind her. With runners on second and third with one out, Morgan Roby dropped down an RBI bunt for a single.
Walsh tied the game in the top of the third when Zoey Schmitt singled home Natalie Eich, who had led the inning off with a walk.
But Fitch broke it open in their half of the third with four more runs.
Caitlin Mitchell doubled to lead off the inning and then McKenna Hogan and Kylie Folkwein both walked to load the bases. Severn followed with an RBI single and Toth grounded out to score another. Then another error by Walsh on a fly ball by Morgan Roby scored a pair of runs to make it 5-0.
Watts then homered in the fourth to make it 6-1 on a ball hit to dead center.
“It felt great right off the bat,” Watts said. “As soon as it hit the bat, I knew it was gone.”
Toth led off with a fifth with a double and was followed by a Roby single. Another Walsh error on a ball hit by Madi Beaudis scored a run and Mitchell then singled home another run to it make it 8-1. Walsh intentionally walked Watts to load the bases and Hogan grounded out to bring in the ninth run of the game for the Falcons.
Beaudis drove home a run in the sixth with a single to make it 10-1 and then Ayla Ray hit a ground rule double to put runners on second and third. Mitchell followed with a single to score Beaudis to end the game with the OHSAA’s run rule.
“I just wanted to prepare on the on-deck circle, and I just carried everything that I've been taught into that at-bat,” Mitchell said. “It was great, it felt amazing.”
In the circle, Watts allowed four hits and one walk while striking out 11, including five of the first six batters she faced.
“They have a lot of very strong contact hitters, and I knew that I just needed to spin the ball around the zone to make them swing at it,” Watts said. “(I wanted) to get either get hard ground balls or popups, just something my defense can make the plays on.”
In four games during the district and regional tournaments at Youngstown State, Watts went 4-0 and gave up just one run on six hits in 26 innings and struck out 64 hitters. That included a perfect game in the district semifinals against Madison, a no-hitter in the regional semifinals against Berea-Midpark and a 20-strikeout performance in the district final against Mentor.
Offensively, she belted three homers in the four games.
“I love playing in front of crowds,” Watts said. “I feel like big moments are my thing.”
Fitch remained unbeaten on the season and the Falcons have done so by playing for the love of the game and the love of one another.
“When you do that, you're gonna have fun out here,” Ward said. “That's always our goal is be the best teammate possible for each other and just play for love of the game and love for your teammates.”
The closeness that has been forged has allowed the 19 players on the Fitch roster to come together as one on this journey.
“We're all so close as a group, we all love each other,” Hogan said. “There's really no drama right here on this team. We are all just are so close and that helped us trust each other. We know we can get far with each other.”
And it isn’t just on the softball diamond where the girls can be seen together, either.
“You know they're always together,” Wards said. “They're always hanging out whether it's in school, out of school, they are always together.”
The Falcons will be together once again next Friday as they make the trip to Firestone Park in Akron to play in the Division I state semifinals against Lebanon at 12:30 pm.
