ARCANUM – The hopes and dreams of a deep postseason run that were created by an outstanding regular season came crashing down Wednesday afternoon as Arcanum was ousted from the Ohio High School Athletic Association softball tournament by Milton-Union, 4-3.
The No. 1 seeded Lady Trojans would never lead in this game as the No. 10 Lady Bulldogs scored single runs in the first and third innings to go ahead by a 2-0 score. Through the first four innings Arcanum could only muster one infield hit.
The Lady Trojans’ Abbie Bruns managed to keep Milton-Union off the scoreboard through the middle innings while in the fifth the offense finally broke through. The Trojans collected three hits and benefited from a costly Lady Bulldog error to plate two runs to tie the game at 2-2.
Milton-Union scored two runs in the seventh. A leadoff walk was followed by a triple to left-center. The runner on third came home on a fielder’s choice. The Lady Bulldogs took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Arcanum got the immediate spark it was looking for to jump start its sluggish batting attack. Hannah Weaver went to the plate to bat for Cassidy Clark, who she had replaced earlier due to an injury. All Weaver did was send a pitch over the left field fence to draw the Lady Trojans to within a run at 4-3.
Abby Ross then lined out to center field. Elle Siculan was next, and she singled to center. Three hard hit balls in a row and it looked like the momentum was turning. Bruns came to the plate and hit a screamer right at the shortstop, who threw quickly to first to double off the runner to end the game.
“Hannah Weaver stepped in and got a hold of one,” Arcanum coach Rick Stone said. “She will be a starter next year … We just didn’t hit today. You don’t hit and you don’t win. Tonight wasn’t our night. When that ball left Abbie’s bat I thought we had this game won, and it went right to shortstop.
“Hat’s off to MU. They came ready to play. I take the blame myself. We weren’t ready to play … I think the nerves were getting to them a bit. But you know, they didn’t quit.
“Those seniors (Abbie Bruns, Shelby Howard, Abby Ross and Loganne Stone) in my opinion have turned around the mindset of Arcanum softball … Great leadership. They will be missed. Your heart hurts for the girls because they wanted this bad.”
