Valley rallies with 2 outs in 7th, advances to sectional final

M. Shriver’s has 2 RBIs, including game-tying hit; Bussard strikes out 9

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Softball

Kaitlyn Threlkel Minda Shriver

Tippecanoe Valley 5, Columbia City 4 (Tuesday): Minda Shriver had an RBI single, and Gaby Gonzalez reached on an error to cap a two-run rally with two outs in the seventh inning as Valley came back to stun Columbia City in a Class 3A, Sectional 20 semifinal at NorthWood Tuesday.

Kaitlyn Threlkel went 2 for 2 with two walks, and Dalynne Bussard and Malaynie Costello added two hits each for Valley.

Minda Shriver had two RBIs, and KC Shriver also had a hit.

Bussard pitched a 10-hitter with one walk and nine strikeouts. She blanked Columbia City over the final three innings to allow her team to rally from a 4-0 deficit.

Layla Doehrmann struck out KC Shriver to start the seventh with Columbia City leading 4-3. She then got Costello, who had doubled and scored the previous inning, to pop back to the circle.

Down to their final out, Threlkel walked, and Temperance Caudill reached on a dropped pop-up. Minda Shriver then grounded a single to right to score Threlkel from second and move Caudill to third.

Gonzalez then grounded to short, but the ball was booted for an error, scoring Caudill to end the game.

Columbia City played errorless ball through the first five innings, but they committed four errors over the final two innings, including back-to-back errors on balls that Caudill and Minda Shriver hit in the sixth that cut the lead to 4-2. Makenzey Morton’s RBI groundout later in the inning made it 4-3.

Columbia City took a 1-0 lead on Mylie Ward’s RBI double in the first and added three more runs in the fourth.

Columbia City got their leadoff hitter on base in the third, sixth and seventh innings but did not score in any of them.

Valley improved to 14-9. They will play Fairfield (22-6) in the sectional final at 6 p.m. tonight. Fairfield routed West Noble 22-1 in Tuesday’s other semifinal.

Valley senior center fielder Kahlyn Manns missed the game due to an ankle injury.

Valley 5, Columbia City 4

Columbia City 100 300 0 – 4 10 4

Valley 000 003 2 – 5 8 1

WP – Dalynne Bussard (7 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)

LP – Doehrmann (1 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K)

2B – Friend (CC), Davis (CC), Ward (CC), Malaynie Costello (TV)