Johnson outduels Molebash, ends Lady Cavs’ season

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Gracie Milam Aiden Molebash

Softball

South Central (Union Mills) 3, Culver 2 (Monday): Aiden Molebash struck out nine in the circle and also had two hits at the plate, but the Culver softball team lost to South Central in a Class 1A, Sectional 51 quarterfinal at South Central Monday.

Madison Kitts also had two hits and an RBI, and Abigayle Zehner also had two hits for Culver as part of a seven-hit attack. Lisa Krmek also had a hit.

Molebash allowed eight hits and two earned runs. She walked one.

Lexi Johnson, a Toledo recruit, walked one and fanned 11 for the Lady Satellites.

All the scoring came in the sixth inning.

Caitlin Allen, Maddy Cleek and Ashlen Strauch had two hits each for South Central. Allen and Cleek had RBI singles in the top of the sixth, and South Central scored a third run on an error.

Molebash led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and went to third on a passed ball, and Milam was hit by a pitch, but Molebash was later declared out due to offensive interference.

Milam stole second, and Savannah Schlemmer walked.

Milam would later steal third and home. Kitts’ RBI double scored Schlemmer from first.

Johnson then retired Krmek on a grounder to second to end the inning and then pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to close out the game.

Even though the game was played at South Central, Culver was the home team.

South Central improved to 17-6-1. Culver finished 12-10.

Maddy Hamilton, Brooklyn Lefeber and Krmek, a foreign exchange student from Germany, are the team’s seniors.

South Central will square off with North Judson in the sectional semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Wednesday. North Judson routed Oregon-Davis 21-0 in five innings in their quarterfinal.

In the day’s first quarterfinal at South Central, Elkhart Christian edged Triton 11-10. Elkhart Christian will next face Argos at 5:30 p.m. Eastern today in the semifinals.

South Central (Union Mills) 3, Culver 2

South Central 000 003 0 – 3 8 2

Culver 000 002 0 – 2 7 4

WP – Johnson (7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K)

LP – Aiden Molebash (7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)

2B – Strauch (SC), Madison Kittz (CUL), Aiden Molebash (CUL)