AKRON — Hillsdale senior pitcher Sydney Long finally gave up a hit with two outs in the seventh inning on Saturday, proving perhaps she is human after all.
But she and her Falcon teammates proved one more thing against the Strasburg Tigers during a 5-0 win at Akron’s Firestone Stadium.
Namely, Hillsdale (27-2) is once again the best Division IV softball team in the state of Ohio.
Powered by Long’s one-hit arm, her two-run homerun bat and a perfect defense, No.-1 ranked Hillsdale won the seventh state softball title in its storied history, denying the No.-3 ranked Tigers (23-6) their eighth in the clash of the small-school softball titans.
“(We) came out and scored first. That was a thing we talked about. Make them chase us the entire game. We had no errors and Syd pitched her butt off,” Hillsdale second-year coach Hannah Fulk said.
“Those were the three big things we needed to win this game and we did it.”
Strasburg coach Bud Weisgarber, who has led the Strasburg program for 34 years, conceded Long and the Hillsdale defense made it tough on a Tigers’ team that scored seven runs in a state semifinal win on Friday.
“When you only get (three) baserunners in a game (two via walk), you ain’t gonna win many games,” Weisgarber said. “Their pitcher was very good.
“She didn’t strike out a lot, but they play nice defense behind her. It seemed like every time we hit a ball hard, it was right at someone,” the veteran coach said.
FAST START: Long, who struck out four, walked two and only allowed four balls hit into the outfield, also struck the longest ball of the game.
In the bottom of the first, after junior centerfielder Sophie Goon singled to right, Long hammered a two-strike pitcher over the fence in left, putting Hillsdale on top, 2-0.
“I went up there looking for my pitch,” Long said. “Obviously, I went down 0-2 very quickly. I knew I had to foul it off, get my pitch and win the battle. I found my pitch and drove it out. That’s what happens when you make contact and get a good swing on it.
“It was definitely a great feeling. The next inning, I was able to go out on the mound and relax just a little bit more,” Long said.
It was all the runs Hillsdale would need, though the Falcons broke it open with three runs in the fifth. Hillsdale sent nine batters to the plate in the inning, including hits from Goon, freshman Josie Rowland (triple) and senior Kaylee Cline. Hillsdale took advantage of two Strasburg errors in the frame and also left the bases loaded.
The speedy Rowland, Hillsdale’s lead-off hitter, went 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring a run and driving in one.
“(Josie) sets the tone for our team,” Fulk said. “When she gets on, we get excited because we know we can move her to second. When she gets to second, it’s hard to keep her away from home if it’s a hard-hit ball. She did a great job today and played her heart out.”
PERFECT POSTSEASON: Tossing a post-season shutout is nothing new to Long. In fact, Hillsdale didn’t allow a single run during the entire tournament this season, a school first.
“(Strasburg) put the ball in play,” Long said. “My defense made no errors and did great today. Strasburg beat us (in the state semifinals) two years ago, but we knew we didn’t play our best game.
“I worked for this my whole life. I grew up pitching. I am going to strike everyone out and I count on my defense to make plays. I know they can count on me as well,” Long said.
Fulk praised her defenders.
“Our defense … probably the best we ever played was in the tournament as a defensive whole. (Long) didn’t strike out 21, so she had to get them somewhere else. I couldn’t be more proud of all of them,” Fulk said.
SENIOR FAREWELL: Seniors Long, Cline, Keirah Smetzer and Maryellen Bliss have played their final games for Hillsdale. Fulk was not ready to start looking forward.
“This senior class is indescribable in what they have meant to this Hillsdale program,” Fulk said. “They took me on as a new coach last year and went full force. They did everything I asked them to do.
“I (will) try not to think about missing them until tomorrow. Until then, they are still a part of this team. They did so much for this program. They showed the freshmen what it’s like to be a Hillsdale Falcon … on and off the field.
“They welcomed me with open arms and they will be truly missed next year,” Fulk said.
