Down to last out, Findlay rallies past Maumee, 9-8

FINDLAY – Findlay played long-ball in the early stages of Monday's softball game with Maumee.But it was the Trojans ability to get clutch hits in key situations and put the ball in play when it mattered most that earned them a come-from-behind 9-8 win over the Panthers at Babcock Field."We got some big, clutch hits in the last inning from the lower part of the lineup," said FHS coach Brian Steffes."The top of our lineup, the top four batters are hitting really well. But all the way through the No. 9 spot we're solid. I think all the way through our lineup we're going to have good at-bats all year long."Davinee Harris belted two home runs and Addi Sprang launched another, but all were solo shots and Findlay trailed 8-3 in the sixth.Natalie Steffes singled to start a two-out rally though, Laine Bose drew a walk and both moved up on a wild pitch. Monika Kerwin, batting lead-off, then greeted Maumee reliever Julia Coutcher with a two-run double to the base of the fence in left, trimming Maumee's lead to 8-5.After Emma George, a freshman right-hander who earned the pitching win with five innings of relief, retired Maumee 1-2-3, Findlay continue its comeback in the seventh.Sprang led with her second hit of the game. She was erased on George's grounder off the pitcher's glove, but George beat the relay to first to avoid the double play.Davinee Harris followed with a single – her third hit of the day – and Delaney Harris grounded a shot down the third-base line to score George.Trailing 8-6, Findlay was down to its final out after Lola Spieles flied out to center. Pinch hitter Avalon Sprang, a freshman, bounced an RBI single up the middle, though, and No. 9 hitter Laine Boes delivered an RBI single to left, with Delaney Harris beating the throw to the plate and scoring the tying run with a head-first slide.Kerwin stepped in, fought off a tough pitch, and grounded a slow roller toward short. Maumee's Reign Hurt tried to make a quick scoop and throw, but when she could not get a clean handle on the ball, Avalon Sprang raced home with the winning run.It was a rare miscue in a game that featured some outstanding defensive plays.Kerwin, Findlay's third baseman, snared a one-hopper in the hole and got a force at third in the first inning, and speared another shot of the bat of Maumee's Hannah Ruiz in the third.In the second inning, Maumee had a run in and the bases loaded when Delaney Harris gloved smash off the bat of Taylor Smith and flipped the ball to Kerwin to double the runner off third.An inning later, with one on and one out, George and Addi Sprang teamed up on a strike-em-out, throw-em out double play when Sprang gunned the runner down before she could get back to first.And when Maumee had two runs in and two runners on in the fifth, Davinee Harris made a nice running catch in center to end that threat.Maumee flashed some impressive leather as well, with centerfielder Autumn Gugger making a diving grab on Addi Sprang's rope in the gap in the bottom of the first inning, and shortstop Reign Hurt denying Kerwin a base hit with a diving grab of her liner in the fifth.Findlay outhit Maumee 13-8. Davinee Harris, who got a bit of a late start to the softball season after playing all-Ohio caliber hoops for the FHS girls basketball team, led the way with three hits, including the first two-homer game of her career."Two home runs, that's a first for me," said Harris, adding she needed to "give my body and my mind a little break" after basketball."I was just trying to get a little a single, but I'll take a home run, too."Addi Sprang's home run was her first of the season. Based on softball stats compiled since the 1993 season, it was the 16th of her career, a school record.Kerwin, Addi Sprang and Delaney Harris had two hits each for the Trojans, who are off to a 4-0 start heading in to Wednesday's Northern Lakes League game with Bowling Green, also at Babcock Field."This league is very good," said Steffes, fully aware that two of the teams Findlay will face in home-and-home NLL Buckeye Division play are Anthony Wayne, a Division II state semifinalist last season, and Perrysburg, which reached the Division I regional finals in 2025."We graduated a good group (from a 14-10 team). But we have five seniors and with the juniors and sophomores and some really good freshmen, we have other kids that have been stepping up. That makes a big difference."We scrimmaged a lot of teams with good pitching so we could be ready to go. Maumee (which returns its pitching ace in Hannah Ruiz and several of its top offensive players from 2025) is great competition for us. They beat up on (Oregon) Clay (11-1) and (Sylvania) Southview (17-4). "We waited a little while to get started today, but we did eventually get started. It's like I told the kids Saturday (after a 16-9 win over Lima Shawnee), we're going to be facing some really good competition, so we have got to show up."Maumee 320 021 0—8 9 2Findlay 010 013 3—9 13 0WP—George. LP—Coutcher. TOP HITTERS: (Mau) Pyle 1B, RBI; Smith 2B, HR, RBI; Hurt 1B, 2-2B, 4 RBI. (Fin) Kerwin 1B, 2B, 2 RBI; Ad. Sprang 1B, HR, RBI; Dav. Harris 2-HR, 1B, 2 RBI; Del. Harris 2-1B, RBI; Av. Sprang 1B, RBI; L. Boes 1B, RBI.RECORDS: Findlay 4-0; Maumee 2-2.