Sycamore outlasts Ottawa 6-3 in 9 innings

OTTAWA — The Sycamore softball team took advantage of a trio of Ottawa errors and a dropped third strike to score three runs in the top of the ninth inning to stay unbeaten in Interstate 8 Conference play with a 6-3 victory on Wednesday.

The Pirates loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the frame before Spartans relief pitcher Bella Jacobs struck out the final batter to secure Sycamore’s ninth consecutive triumph.

“We’ve had some tight games, one-run games this year, but this was our first one that went to extra innings,” Sycamore coach Jill Carpenter said, her squad now 13-1 overall and 3-0 in league play. “Either way it’s kind of that thought of one mistake can really change things. Ottawa is a scrappy team, has been for as many years as Adam (Lewis) has been the coach, so when they tied the game up in the third it was going to be a tight game the rest of the way.

“In the ninth we were able to put the ball in play and then were able to take advantage of a couple of mistakes on their part. We hung in there, were finally able to push across some runs, and then eventually closed things out.”

In the final inning, back-to-back Ottawa errors and an intentional walk to Kairi Lantz loaded the bases with no outs. Riley Schuller and Ema Durst then provided sacrifice flies in between another Pirates error before the visitors plated a third run on a two-out, dropped third strike.

Lantz — who reached base five times, including three walks — gave Sycamore the lead in the first with a two-run homer to left off Ottawa pitcher Addie Russell.

“We always sit down and talk as a team about the next pitcher we expect to face. Sometimes it’s from film and sometimes it’s from seasons past,” Lantz said. “We knew (Russell) is a fantastic pitcher who has a lot of movement on her pitches and moves the ball around the strike zone well. Those types of pitchers you just have to really step into the batter’s box with a clear mind, don’t guess, and just see ball, hit ball.

“That was my approach today and it worked out for me. The walks were frustrating, no doubt, but that is why it’s a team game. I know my teammates batting after me are going to come through and that’s what they did.”

Ottawa (11-4, 2-2) tied the game in the third when sophomore catcher Bobbi Snook — who past former sluggers Amy Johnson and Sloan Gayan to already become the program’s career all-time leader in home runs (17) on Monday — doubled off Sycamore starter Addison Dierschow before Aubrey Sullivan followed with a first-pitch blast to straightaway left.

Sycamore took a 3-2 lead in the sixth when Durst doubled and later scored on an error.

Ottawa retied the contest with two outs in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Sullivan, with a Pirates runner thrown out at the plate to send the game to extras.

Jacobs (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) recorded the win after relieving Dierschow (4 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K). Faith Heil, Lantz and Durst each had two hits.

Russell (9 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) suffered a tough-luck loss for the second time in three days. Piper Lewis had three of the Pirates’ 12 hits, with Rylee Harsted and Sullivan collecting two each.

“Just like on Monday (a 14-inning loss to La Salle-Peru), Addie pitched her butt off and put us in a position to win,” Ottawa coach Adam Lewis said. “But when we tied it up, we started running away from the ball defensively, playing on our heels, short-arming throws, hesitating on throws and while going to the ball. We just weren’t as aggressive as we needed to be.

“The teams we play, especially in this conference, you’re not winning games if you don’t play from the first out to the last aggressively.”

Sycamore is back in action on Friday at home against L-P. Ottawa hosts Dunlap for a doubleheader on Saturday with the first game starting at 10 a.m.