By Roger Gordon

Correspondent

The Rootstown softball team’s drive to advancing to regional play for the first time since 2003 came to a crashing halt May 20 in a 13-1 defeat to Canfield South Range in a Division V district-championship game at the Willig Softball Complex in Canton.

The Rovers finished the season with a 13-8 record and celebrated a league championship in the Chagrin Valley Conference.

“I think South Range’s pitcher did well,” head coach Paige Byers said. “We put some balls in play. They just made the plays. We just couldn’t find the holes like we had been in previous games.”

Rootstown was limited to just two singles by senior Reise Thomas and junior Lilly Kamenash.

The Rovers began the postseason May 13 with a 13-10 sectional win at home over Berkshire in a slugfest.

They had a few big innings and were in the lead the entire game, but the Badgers refused to fold.

The home team produced a true rarity at any level of softball, especially high school — five home runs.

The long balls were slugged by seniors Kaitlyn Hammerschmidt and Katie Sisley, sophomores Morgan Giebel and Sophia Byers and freshman Cheyenne Cutright.

Giebel, the first baseman, added three singles, had five RBI and scored three runs. Hammerschmidt, the designated player, added a single and drove in four runs.

“Morgan and Kaitlyn both saw the ball really well and found the middle of the ball,” said coach Byers. “When they’re up at the plate, we have full confidence that we’re going to move our runners if not score.”

Five days later, on May 18 in a district semifinal, Rootstown won at Wooster Triway 6-4.

“The theme of our season — we score runs, they score runs and we just don’t give up,” the coach said. “The girls really played a solid defensive game and came up big with hits when the time came.”

Cutright doubled home what would be the winning run in the top of the seventh inning.

She also tripled and singled, coming a homer shy of hitting for the cycle. She had three RBI and scored once.

“Cheyenne was big for us in big moments in many games,” Coach Byers said. “She was seeing the ball very well.”

Thomas doubled, singled twice and scored two runs.