Findlay rallies, but comes up short in season opener

FINDLAY – A late rally did not change the outcome of Findlay's 11-6 softball loss to Springfield on Tuesday.But to FHS coach Brian Steffes, it spoke volumes about his team."I was telling the kids, 'Let's challenge ourselves this inning,'" Steffes said."I said. 'We may not get them (runs) all back, but let's get at least one. Let's get a girl on base, then let's get her in. Let's make that a win in that respect.'"Cranking out wins is becoming more habit than happenstance for Steffes and the Trojans' softball program, whose back-to-back 17-10 and 16-10 records have created the school's best two-year record since going 34-19 in 2004 (18-11) and 2005 (16-8).So when Findlay not only met but surpassed Steffes challenge on Tuesday, he wasn't surprised."Instead of getting just one run we ended up getting three," Steffes said."That's great. That shows they don't give up, they don't quit, they always keep going … I'm proud of them for that."Springfield entered Tuesday's season opener with a solid resume that includes long-time head coach Ron Gwozdz, an Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Association Hall of Famer who has guided the Blue Devils to around 450 wins and nine Northern Lakes League championships. With several senior veterans returning, including some who played as freshmen on the 2022 Final Four team, Springfield is an odds-on choice to defend the NLL Cardinal Division title it won last season.From the get-go, Blue Devils seemed poised to live up to that billing.Senior shortstop Camryn Hall, the 2024 NLL Cardinal Division Player of the Year, doubled leading off the game and Callee Chappetta, another first-team all-leaguer and the team's pitching ace, walked. Kenya Crowley followed with an RBI single and Natalie Slavin would add a two-out, two-run double.Findlay was quick to respond, though.With Lola Spieles, a second-team all-NLL pick in 2024, unavailable due to prior school commitments, sophomore second baseman Monika Kerwin stepped into the lead-off spot and singled up the middle. Freshman centerfielder Davinee Harris drew a walk, and junior third baseman Ryan Boes belted the second pitch she saw from Chippetta well over the fence in right-center for a game-tying three-run homer."(Chappetta) is one of those seniors we talked about," Gwozdz said."She knows that once we come out and get on top like that, we have to have a shut-down inning. Credit to the kid who hit it out, though. That was a shot, a no-doubter."Chippetta settled down, retiring 16 straight batters before Boes laced a one-out single to center in the sixth. Junior catcher Addelyn Sprang and senior first-baseman Laney Oliver also singled, but Hall's diving stop on Oliver's hit kept Findlay from scoring on that play. A 6-2 fielder's choice and a strikeout then ended the threat."We were hitting the ball. Unfortunately, we did not capitalize on opportunities when we had base runners," Steffes said."We made good contact, but they made some good defensive plays."Springfield had gone ahead 5-3 in the fourth inning on RBI doubles by Hall and Crowley. Natalie Steffes, who had replaced Findlay starter Emily Cole in the fifth inning, retired six the first seven batters she faced. With the late afternoon shadows deepening and the temperature dropping, though, Springfield's bats heated up one last time.Camryn Eckhart walked and Hannah Schlachter scorched a double across the third-base bag to put runners at second and third in the top of the seventh. Addy Rapp and Maddie Hartzel delivered RBI singles and Chippetta a two-run double during the Blue Devils six-run rally.In the bottom of the seventh, Natalie Steffes drew a one-out walk and Kerwin delivered her second hit of the day, a single up the middle. Davinee Harris doubled to the base of the fence in right to plate two runs, and later scored on a Sprang's double to the fence in left-center. The rally ended though, when Springfield second baseman Taylor Yackee speared Oliver's line drive for the final out.Springfield will face Toledo Central Catholic on Thursday, then head south for a road trip Gwozdz feels will prepare his Blue Devils for the long road ahead."We'll be playing five games down there in Florida, the first one against the Kentucky state runner-up (from 2024), to get us ready for the NLL," Gwozdz said."The NLL is a great, great conference. If you don't come ready to play every day, somebody is going to get you.Findlay continues a four-game home stand with a Saturday doubleheader with Lima Shawnee, then a nonleague game with Tiffin Columbian on Tuesday.Oliver, who hit .473 last season with four home runs and 30 runs-batted-in, is one of the Trojans top returning veterans, along with Spieles, Boes (.349, 15 RBI), outfielder Anabelle Cooper and shortstop Delaney Harris. Kerwin also saw some varsity playing time as a freshman, with senior Jayla Brown in the varsity mix as well.The battery returns intact with Sprang behind the plate and Natalie Steffes and Cole inside the circle. Steffes was 11-6 last season with a 4.08 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings. Cole was 54- with a 4.20 ERA and 45 strikeouts."We're doing more of a rotation this year," Brian Steffes said of the Trojans pitching staff."Natalie and Emily complement each other really well. One has one style and the other has a couple of different pitches."The end result, Brian Steffes hopes, is a continuation of a trend already in motion. "We have a lot of good teams on the schedule. It's going to be a hard go, but we're challenging the girls to get a few more wins than last year," Brian Steffes said."A winning culture, that's what we're trying to do." Springfield 300 200 6—11 13 0Findlay 300 000 3—6 8 1WP—Chippetta (1-0). LP—Cole ()-1). TOP HITTERS: (Spr) Hall 1B, 2B; Chappetta 2B, 2 RBI; Crowley 1B, 2B, 2 RBI; Eckhart 2B, RBI; Schlachter 2B; Slavin 2-1B, 2 RBI; Rapp 2-1B, RBI. (Fin) Kerwin 2-1B; Da. Harris 2B; Boes HR, 1B, 4 RBI; Sprang 2-1B, 2B, RBI.