Lady Lions control destiny for division title

GOSHEN — Minutes before an American Division showdown with New Richmond, Goshen players were dancing outside their dugout to the song “Church Clap” by KB. The Lady Warriors entered with all the energy as they looked to avenge an earlier season loss to the Lady Lions and spoil New Richmond’s chance of at least an American Division co-championship for the third consecutive season.

Instead, Izzie Carroll muted Goshen’s bats and zapped all that pre-game spunk.

The senior pitcher limited the home team to four hits and one walk over seven innings en route to a 6-0 New Richmond victory April 23 at Goshen High School.

Carroll benefited from Goshen’s early-count aggressiveness by relying on her top-notch defense. At the plate, she got enough support from Rae Hartigan’s 3-for-4 and two-RBI night and her team’s ability to apply pressure on the Goshen defense paid dividends.

“My biggest goal when I’m pitching is to pitch to the bat and let my defense do their thing,” Carroll said, “and they are absolutely amazing. They make plays in the outfield. You see Piper (Willis) going for those gaps, and Gracie (Seibert) makes that play in the end. I am just really proud of my team.

“Being co-champions two years and winning it my freshman year, winning a fourth time is something we are looking forward to. If we keep playing like we have, our defense is on lockdown and our offense is as good as it is. We have a good shot at that.”

The win improved the Lady Lions to 6-2 in the division and 11-5 overall following wins against Goshen and Batavia within the last week. They are one game ahead of Clinton-Massie (5-3, 12-6), against which they split the season series, and a game behind Western Brown (7-1, 16-2). New Richmond hosts the Lady Broncos on May 7, a game that could decide a divisional champion.

“It’s a great point of the season to begin hitting our stride, and I think we are all beginning to click together, especially on defense,” Willis said.

The Lady Lions wasted no time getting ahead of Goshen in the top of the first inning when Hartigan took Goshen starter Skye Shaw’s 1-2 offering over the leftfield wall for a solo shot with one out in the inning.

The Southern Clermont County team built a threat following back-to-back singles by Carroll and Willis, but Shaw got out of the jam with back-to-back flyouts.

Fresh off a 10-4 win over previously unbeaten Williamsburg, Carroll was ready for an encore performance against Goshen — a team the Lady Lions beat 4-3 on April 8 after initially trailing in that home game 3-0.

The Lady Warriors came out aggressive, with Shaw and Macee Steele swinging at the first pitch. Both were retired on fly balls. The aggressive approach continued when Makayla Campbell singled on the first pitch of her at-bat, but Carroll concluded the frame by getting Kenzie Durbin to pop out.

Two-out hitting came to light for the Lady Lions in the top of the second. Rachel Perry smacked a leadoff double. Shaw struck out the next two batters, but Seibert kept the inning alive with a single, and Hartigan recorded her second RBI with a double to left field that plated Perry for a 2-0 lead.

Defense came through in the bottom half.

Josie Purdy reached on an error, and Margaret Shoemake singled to create a threat for Goshen. Carroll got Charlize Schulz to strike out. Perry was then caught in a rundown going to third base before being tagged out, and Carroll then induced a pop-up to end the frame.

The Lady Lion offense applied pressure to Goshen’s defense the rest of the way.

Carroll reached on a leadoff single. Two batters later, Morgan Catron reached on an error, which allowed courtesy runner Taylor Lawhorn to get to third base. The throw missed the bag, allowing Lawhorn to score, and Catron wasn’t too far behind after another error was committed for a 4-0 lead in the top of the third.

Carroll pitched 15 innings in the third and retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings. The final runs came in the top of the fifth, beginning with singles from Carroll and Catron. Courtesy runner Lawhorn and Catron scored during the next at-bat when Perry reached on an error at second for a 6-0 advantage.

Goshen mustered a one-out single in the sixth but was left stranded, and Seibert completed a 6-3 double play that ended the game and put an exclamation point on New Richmond’s recent dominance.

“I think I had the best view in centerfield. It was great to see, and I’m happy for her (Seibert),” Willis said.

The Lady Lions took down Williamsburg, 10-4, April 22. Carroll was masterful in her complete-game performance. The Mount St. Joseph University commit scattered seven hits, four runs and eight strikeouts. Carroll had her changeup going against the Ladycats, who had trouble waiting back on the offspeed pitch.

“My changeup is my best pitch, and it’s one I have worked really hard to master,” Carroll said. “It’s a pitch I can throw 3-0 in the count, and it’s something I can rely on. I definitely saw them not sitting back on the pitch, and I wanted to take advantage of that.”

Meanwhile, Willis set a school record by scoring the most runs in a career in school history. Her 109th run scored against Williamsburg topped 2020 graduate Carley Clift’s 108 runs.

“I did not know anything about it. It was a good surprise,” Willis said. “It was really exciting, and I thought about all the girls the past four years who have helped me get that because, without them, I wouldn’t have been able to get that record.”