Swinging Senators roll past Buckeyes: West to play for first district title since ‘15

CHILLICOTHE — It was all smiles for the Portsmouth West Lady Senators on Tuesday — and for good reason.

In the program’s return to the Division III district tournament for the first time since 2016, the Southeast District’s No. 2-seed defeated No. 11-seed Nelsonville-York 10-0 in six innings.

Not one, two, or three, but four Portsmouth West home runs accounted for all 10 of their runs in the district semifinal victory over the Lady Buckeyes — who were playing in the program’s first district tournament.

West sophomore Emily Moore went deep in the first with a two-run blast, scoring freshman Myla Mead who reached via a one-out double.

Moore and Mead’s stellar days at the plate were just beginning.

After three-straight scoreless frames by NY pitcher Ryleigh Giffin, West brought the bats back out in the fifth.

Mead connected on a grand slam home run to put West up 6-0 — before Moore went deep a second time in the next at-bat in a no-doubt bomb to left field.

The duo said following the win the that their approach at the plate was team-centered. The results speak for themselves.

“Just being here for my team in everything we do — helping us succeed and get to the next game,” Mead said.

“Knew I had to step up because we weren’t hitting the ball as well as we normally do early on,” Moore said. “Wanted to go up and hit the ball and put it in play.”

Portsmouth West coach Dani Coleman said their team prepared for Giffin’s preference of throwing pitches on the inside portion of the plate.

“We knew that she liked to jam batters up and inside with the scouting report we’d taken. For the last week, we’ve prepared for that type of pitching,” Coleman said. “Girls came today with a clear mind and had great approach at the plate.”

In the sixth inning, the first two West batters reached in freshman Macie Bradford and junior Sydney McDermott.

Freshman Zoey Pollard stepped to the plate and on the fifth pitch of the at-bat sent a three-run home run to right center — ending the game in six innings.

“She’s been a dark horse all season, only a freshman. She shows great potential and great speed in the outfield,” Coleman said. “Just like all our hitters, she’s been really focused and motivated all season.”

McDermott allowed just three Lady Buckeye batters to reach in the win — giving up one infield hit and issuing a pair of walks in the fifth inning.

In a stretch from the first to the fifth innings, McDermott and the West defense retired 12-straight NY batters.

The junior right-hander has already surpassed the 300 strikeout mark for the season and now owns the first and second single-season Ks record in PW softball history. Entering the district final, McDermott has fanned 311 batters this season and 606 over her career.

“Sydney and Abi are such a great battery, and our team defensively has been solid in making the routine plays and staying focused,” Coleman said.

Portsmouth West (24-2) will return to Chillicothe on Saturday when they’ll face No. 5-seed Fairfield in the Unioto #2 district final. Fairfield defeated No. 8-seed Westfall 5-1 in Tuesday’s second Unioto #2 district semifinal.

First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.

For the Lady Senators to claim the program’s first district title since 2015, Coleman says they’ll need to stay focused and keep the same mindset they have all season.

“Just need to keep the mindset that we play one pitch, one inning, and game at a time. Everyone’s good until you prove otherwise, tell them every day that we need to stay humble or you might be humbled,” Coleman said. “Very narrow about what we want and we try not to get ahead of ourselves.”

***

BOX SCORE

Nelsonville-York 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 1 3

Portsmouth West 2 0 0 0 5 3 — 10 12 0

NY hitting

Riffle 1-3

Gautier 0-1, BB

Richards 0-1, BB

West hitting

Emma Sayre 0-3, R

Myla Mead 3-3, 2R, 4RBI, HR

Emily Moore 2-3, 2R, 3RBI, 2HR

Kate Rollins 1-3

Macie Bradford 1-3, R

Sydney McDermott 3-3

Zoey Pollard 1-2, R, 3RBI, HR

Acie Stone 1-1, R

Pitching

Giffin (NY) 5IP, 12H, 9ER, 0BB, 1K (L)

Sydney McDermott (W) 6IP, 1H, 0ER, 2BB, 8K (W)

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Portsmouth West freshman Myla Mead (26) went 3-of-3 with a pair of doubles and a grand slam home run during the Lady Senators’ 10-0 win over Nelsonville-York in a D-III district semifinal.
https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2022/05/web1_Mead-_-West-NY-2.jpgPortsmouth West freshman Myla Mead (26) went 3-of-3 with a pair of doubles and a grand slam home run during the Lady Senators’ 10-0 win over Nelsonville-York in a D-III district semifinal. Jacob Smith | Daily Times

Portsmouth West junior Sydney McDermott (25) delivers a pitch during the Lady Senators’ 10-0 win over Nelsonville-York in a D-III district semifinal.
https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2022/05/web1_McDermott-_-West-NY-2.jpgPortsmouth West junior Sydney McDermott (25) delivers a pitch during the Lady Senators’ 10-0 win over Nelsonville-York in a D-III district semifinal. Jacob Smith | Daily Times

Portsmouth West freshman Zoey Pollard (0) is all smiles after her three-run home run gave West a 10-0 victory over Nelsonville-York in a D-III district semifinal.
https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2022/05/web1_Zoey-Pollard-_-West-NY-2.jpgPortsmouth West freshman Zoey Pollard (0) is all smiles after her three-run home run gave West a 10-0 victory over Nelsonville-York in a D-III district semifinal. Jacob Smith | Daily Times

Portsmouth West sophomore Emily Moore (23) rounds third base following her second home run during the Lady Senators’ 10-0 win over Nelsonville-York in a Division III district semifinal.
https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2022/05/web1_Emily-Moore-_-West-NY-2.jpgPortsmouth West sophomore Emily Moore (23) rounds third base following her second home run during the Lady Senators’ 10-0 win over Nelsonville-York in a Division III district semifinal. Jacob Smith | Daily Times
West to play for first district title since ‘15

By Jacob Smith

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Reach Jacob Smith at (740) 370-0713 ext. 1930, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter @JacobSmithPDT © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved

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