By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — Here are the notable softball games, scores and stats from May 4.

Ansonia 1 (13-7, 8-2) at Arcanum 10 (16-4, 10-0)

The Lady Trojans are now your 2023 WOAC softball champions with the 10-1 win over Ansonia. With the win, they claim the outright conference title. They’ve been conference champions now two of the last three years.

Arcanum head coach Mike Morris said while it’s good for the program and the school to get this accomplishment, the team has their sights on the upcoming postseason tournament.

“We’re focused on a deep tournament run. You get this, it’s an extra bonus. We got this, now we just got to continue to get better and try to get a district and try to do what we did last year, get back to regionals,” Morris said.

The Lady Trojans scored a run in the first inning after senior Kaitlyn Toy led off the inning with a single. Junior Emilie Fout scored Toy on a sacrifice groundout to go up 1-0.

Ansonia kept it close and tied it in the fourth inning. Senior Kinsey Hartzell scored on the double steal attempt to tie the game. Ansonia head coach Floyd Jenkins said the team was playing well, Arcanum just got hot.

In the bottom of the fourth, senior Paige Burrell hit a three-run home run to regain the lead, 4-1. Junior Ashlyn Miller drove in a run on a sacrifice flyout. Freshman Grace Fry and Toy each had a RBI and Arcanum led 7-1 after the fourth.

Morris said once the team starts to find their rhythm at the plate, everyone starts to get going.

“Once this team gets on a pitcher, it’s on. They’re ready to roll and it’s contagious through the lineup. We’ve been getting our bunts too and putting pressure on teams. That’s what we weren’t doing earlier in the season, but now it’s all coming together,” Morris said.

In the fifth, senior Mollie Ericksen scored on an error. Then it was senior Brooklyn Ullery’s turn to go yard. She had a two-run shot to put the Lady Trojans up 10-1.

Junior Hannah Kendig pitched a complete game and had at least five strikeouts for Arcanum. Junior Abby Kramer and freshman Abby Klingshirn were on the mound for Ansonia.

For Ansonia, they miss out on a chance to clinch at least a share of the WOAC title. But, this game isn’t a total loss for the team. Jenkins said playing against a team as talented as Arcanum will help show the team the type of teams they will face if they want to make a deep tournament run.

“If you want to go anywhere, you got to play teams like this. They’re a very good ball club. Even though we lost, it will help down the line. The better pitching we see, the more we get used to it. That’s what it’s about, make yourself better for the tournament run now,” Jenkins said.

Arcanum will host Newton on May 9 for their last WOAC game at 5 p.m. Ansonia will go to Jackson Center on May 8 for a 5 p.m. first pitch. They will then host Mississinawa Valley for their first round playoff game at 5 p.m.

Around Darke County:

Franklin Monroe (6-16, 3-7) defeated Twin Valley South, 17-2. After taking a 3-0 lead after the first inning, they scored eight runs in the second and five runs in the third to break open the game. Franklin Monroe had 16 hits in the game. The pitching staff had five strikeouts. The Lady Jets will await the winner of the Ansonia and Mississinawa Valley playoff game for their next game. They will play on May 11 at 5 p.m. at the higher seed’s home field.

Greenville (17-4, 14-1) defeated Butler 14-4. Freshman Kendall Cromwell and sophomore Kylar Arnett each had three RBI. Senior Ashlyn Zimmer and sophomore Zoey Burns each had two RBI. Four more Lady Wave players had a RBI. Burns pitched two innings and had two strikeouts. Senior Kylie Hamm pitched four innings and had two strikeouts. Greenville will host Minster on May 8 at 5:30 p.m. and then host Belmont on May 9 for their first postseason game at 5 p.m.

Tri-Village (14-8, 7-3) defeated Mississinawa Valley (2-16, 1-9), 11-6. After two innings, the Lady Patriots were up 6-2. Senior Alyssa Begoon had two RBI in the game. Four more Lady Patriots scored a run for them. Freshman Hailey Burk had a home run in the game. Senior Ashlyn Burk pitched four innings and had four strikeouts. Freshman Addy Wright had a strikeout in two innings pitched. For Mississinawa Valley, freshman Trinity Reichard had three RBI in the game. Senior Gabby Elizondo, junior Kenzea Townsend and freshman Josslyne Thornhill each had a RBI. Townsend had four hits in the game, including a home run. Tri-Village will play Union City on May 8 at 5 p.m. at home. Mississinawa Valley will travel to Preble Shawnee on May 8 for a 5 p.m. first pitch. They will then go to Ansonia on May 9 for their first round playoff game starting at 5 p.m.

Versailles (11-10, 4-2) won 1-0 at home over St. Henry. The Lady Tigers scored the game’s lone run in the third inning. The team will travel to Milton Union for their first round playoff matchup on May 8 starting at 5 p.m.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]