BURTON–Berkshire plated eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning of a 13-3 five-inning win over rival Cardinal to clinch a share of the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division championship on Wednesday.
The Badgers led 5-2 entering the fourth and took a 13-2 lead into the fifth.
“I told the girls to be patient because we knew it’d be close for two to three innings, and that’s what they did, and they finally plated some runs,” said Berkshire head coach Joe Medlen. “It was one of those games where the girls were determined not to let it get away from them, so they battled every at-bat. We did a great job passing the baton.”
Mallory Durosko broke the ice in the bottom of the first with an RBI single that scored Moira Wonders for a 1-0 lead after the opening frame.
The Huskies answered with a leadoff solo home run by Brooklyn Whitley, but Berkshire answered right back with a two-run rally.
Olivia Masink’s leadoff single led to a Julia Young RBI sacrifice bunt, and Kate Miller added an RBI infield single for a 3-1 edge after two.
Masink delivered again in the third with an RBI single with the bases loaded, then scoring on a pickoff attempt for a 5-1 lead.
Rylie Leichtman joined Cardinal’s home run party with a two-out solo blast in the top of the fourth, trimming the Husky deficit to 5-2.
Then, the Badgers got rolling with eight runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Wonders got it started with a run-scoring double, Kylie Gleason worked a bases-loaded walk, Young picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice, and Miller added another walk with the bases loaded for a 10-2 lead.
Gleason scored on an error, and Whitney Davis delivered the final blow with a two-out, two-run double for a 13-2 lead heading into the fifth.
Cardinal’s Maggie Grant hit an RBI single in the top of the fifth, but the Huskies couldn’t avoid the run rule.
For the first time since the 2012 season, the Badgers were crowned CVC champs.
“It feels great. I’m so proud of this team,” Masink, a senior, said through happy tears. “We played our hearts out this whole season.”
For Coach Medlen, it’s his first league title with the Badgers in his first season with the team.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “From the very beginning, we knew (a conference title) was a possibility. They worked and bought into the program. They’re leaving a legacy and starting the program where we want; it’s a good step forward.”
Berkshire checked off another box on its list of goals the team has set for itself from the outset, now eyeing the postseason, with the final pieces of the puzzle starting to roll.
“You can start to see that our bottom of the order is really starting to click, and that’s what you need to have to be successful in the playoffs,” Medlen said. “You have to have one through nine clicking, and they are right now. We’re putting the ball in play, getting base hits. It’s pretty incredible. They’re working hard in practice.”
Masink led the offense, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and one RBI. Wonders finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, Davis went 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Young drove in two runs as well.
Wonders earned the win, notching her 100th career strikeout in the process, going the full five innings pitched, allowing three runs on seven hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.
Grant and Leichtman each went 2-for-2 for Cardinal with homers.
Natalie Soltis took the loss in the circle, going four innings, allowing 12 runs on 12 hits with five walks and two strikeouts.
Berkshire hosts Champion on May 8, while Cardinal visits Edgewood the same day.
