Pacers rally past Pioneers in tourney opener

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What a difference a half makes.

Trailing 7-3 at the break, the 10th-seeded Delaware Hayes girls lacrosse team outscored host and ninth-seeded Olentangy Orange 8-2 in the second half to rally for a thrilling 11-9 win in the opening round of the Division I, Region 1 tournament Monday night in Lewis Center.

Part of the problem during the slow start was the Pacers couldn’t possess the ball. The Pioneers — thanks in part to Sophia Meek and Kate Beckley winning the majority of the draws and goalie Mia Harrington stopping six shots in the first half alone — appeared to be in cruise control.

That all changed in the second half, though. Presley Call dominated the draw as Hayes started to turn possessions into goals.

Kasey Wells opened the second-half run with a goal less than two minutes in. Less than two minutes later, Audra Lyon found the back of the net and, less than 30 seconds after that, Katlin Klabus scored to pull Hayes within a goal, making it a 7-6 game with 21:32 left.

Klabus scored again on the Pacers’ next trip into the offensive zone, evening things at seven, and Molly Wells gave them their first lead of the game with a goal at the 17:06 mark.

Meek stopped the bleeding, making it an 8-8 contest with 14:32 left, but Hayes ended the game on a 3-1 run to seal the deal.

Lyon broke the tie with 10:57 left, then scored again to make it 10-8 with 4:36 left.

Harrington made a save on a point-blank shot with 3:24 left, but Call scored later in the possession to balloon the Pacer lead to 11-8 with less than three minutes to go.

Bella Boetcher forced a turnover and fed Jordan Sullivan for a goal with 1:24 left, but that’s as close as Orange would get.

Sullivan and Emma-Cait Cogan scored to put the Pioneers up 2-0 in the early going and, after Hayes got back to even with goals by Klabus and Madison Bricker, the hosts scored the next five to take control. Ava Diez, Sofia Carr and Sulllivan scored during the stretch.

Next up, Hayes will take on second-seeded Olentangy Liberty in Friday’s second round. Game time is set for 6 p.m. in Powell.

BASEBALL

Four different pitchers combined to throw a one-hit shutout and Nathan Graham had two hits at the dish to lead Delaware Hayes to a convincing 15-0, five-inning win over visiting Walnut Ridge in a Division I sectional semifinal Monday in Delaware.

The 34th-seeded Pacers jumped on top with a 10-run first inning and never looked back. They added three more runs in the second and single tallies in the third and fourth to smooth out the scoring summary.

Bryden Decaminada and Colin Milligan had two RBI apiece while Dalton Allen, Tyler Bunten, Nikeese McCollum and Braden Krauss combined on the shutout.

Next up, Hayes will take on 11th-seeded Hilliard Darby in a sectional final Wednesday in Hilliard. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

Big Walnut 4, Groveport-Madison 1

Eli Couser, Ethan Clawson and Lorne Anderson drove in runs and Carson Leasure pitched a gem on the mound to lead the 36th-seeded Golden Eagles to a Division I sectional semifinal win over the 39th-seeded Cruisers Monday night in Sunbury.

Big Walnut scored all the runs it would need as part of a two-run first. Groveport sliced the deficit in half with a run in the fourth, but BW sealed the deal with single tallies in the fifth and sixth.

Leasure took care of the rest, allowing a run on five hits while striking out six in the complete-game win.

The win sets up a sectional final date with second-seeded New Albany. First pitch is Wednesday at 5 p.m. in New Albany.

Dublin Scioto 6, Olentangy Berlin 4

The 27-seeded Bears scored two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback in Monday’s Division I sectional semifinal against the host Irish.

Berlin scored the first run of the game as well at the last three, setting the tone with a run in the top of the first, but Scioto plated five in the third to take control.

Quintin Applegate and Daniel Gladden led the Bears at the dish, both finishing 3-for-3 with a combined three RBI.

Delaware Hayes’ Molly Wells brings the ball up the field against Olentangy Orange’s Bella Boetcher (15) during the second half of Monday’s Division I, Region 1 tournament in Lewis Center.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2022/05/web1_IMG_5951-2.jpgDelaware Hayes’ Molly Wells brings the ball up the field against Olentangy Orange’s Bella Boetcher (15) during the second half of Monday’s Division I, Region 1 tournament in Lewis Center. Ben Stroup | The Gazette

By Ben Stroup

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