CHILLICOTHE — The Portsmouth West Lady Senators brought the sticks out early and senior pitcher Sydney McDermott was on her A-game once again in Thursday’s Division III district semifinal against Westfall.

In their first trip to the plate, the Lady Senators batted around — plating six runs in their eventual 7-1 victory over the Mustangs.

With the win, West improves to 25-3 this season and advances to their second-straight district final.

Sophomore Myla Mead’s RBI double in the first got the Lady Senators on the scoreboard initially in their six-run first, scoring junior Emma Sayre after her leadoff single. Junior Emily Moore drove in Mead with an RBI single, putting West ahead 2-0.

Three batters later and with the bases loaded, McDermott sent a grand slam home run over the outfield fence at Unioto High School — putting her Lady Senators ahead 6-0 before the first out of the inning was recorded.

“We’ve been planning for this moment,” West coach Dani Coleman said, after the game. “Hit and hit throughout the season, thousands of balls. Just trying to get them mentally prepared for this moment and of the players that they are. Hanging up six in that first inning was amazing, Syd(ney) having that home run really nailed it for us. Props to Westfall, she held us off and we left a lot of runners on base. Credit to them, but we got the job done.”

McDermott picked up her fifth RBI of the game in the second inning, driving in Moore who reached via a one-out single.

Not only did she drive in five runs, McDermott was her usual self in the circle for the Lady Senators — striking out 15 Westfall batters and allowing just five hits.

In the team’s 2-0 sectional final win over Nelsonville-York, she pitched her fifth no-hitter of the season.

“Sydney holds it down with 15 strikeouts, she always brings her best and knows that the kids have her back,” Coleman said, of her ace pitcher and team defense. “They put the ball in play a little bit, that just reiterates for us we have to be ready for every pitch.”

West will go for their second-straight district title on Saturday back at Unioto. They’ll face No. 8-seed Ironton, who defeated No. 5-seed Northwest in the second district semifinal Thursday.

“We’re just going to go back to the drawing board, one pitch and inning at a time. Super excited to be back in the district final. The kids have really learned this year that we have to work for everything, nothing’s ever given.”

First pitch between Portsmouth West and Ironton will occur roughly 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first D-III district final between Wheelersburg and Wellston, which begins at 12:30 p.m.

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BOX SCORE

Westfall 000 000 1 — 1 5 3

Portsmouth West 610 000 X — 7 11 3

W: Sydney McDermott (PW) 7IP, 5H, 0ER, 2BB, 15K; L: O. Dumm (W) 6IP, 11H, 5ER, 2BB, 5K

West hitting

Emma Sayre 3-3, R, BB

Myla Mead 1-4, R, RBI

Emily Moore 1-4, 2R, RBI

Kaylor Pickelsimer 1-4, R

Macie Bradford 2-4, R

Syndey McDermott 2-3, R, 5RBI, BB

Brooklyn Pitts 1-3

Reach Jacob Smith at (740) 370-0713 ext. 1930, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter @JacobSmithPDT © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved