“We gotta slow the heart rate down,” Newland says of the seven non-seniors in his lineup who entered the season with no varsity experience. “We do it all the time, but I usually still don’t do it at the end of May. And we’re still doing it.”
The other thing the Lady Wave is doing as naturally as breathing is winning. They reached 30 victories for the third time Friday with a 9-0 victory over Ross in a Division II district final at Kings High School. Grace Shaffer pitched a three-hitter, Nyesha Wright homered and Alaina Baughn and Savannah Leach each had four hits.
“It’s gold medal Friday,” Newland said. “We work all year for this.”
Greenville (30-1) won its 13th district title – plus the accompanying gold medal for each player and coach – in the past 15 seasons. The Lady Wave face Springfield Shawnee, a 13-4 winner over Eaton, in the regional semifinals at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Mason High School.
Ross (21-7) lost to Greenville in a district final for the second time in three seasons.
“We just kept fighting,” coach Pat Spurlock said. “They were just an awesome team. Their outfield’s really, really good, the pitcher hits her spots, and we didn’t swing the way we normally swing.”
Last year’s Greenville team was supposed to have nine seniors, Shaffer on the mound, Wright in center field and Susie Blocher behind the plate. But dreams of a second state title to go with the one from 2007 ended on March 13 when the season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That put a lot on Shaffer, Wright and Blocher this season to lead a young team.
“My and Ny are older, so we have to keep all these young’uns together and in line,” Shaffer said. “It’s hard because they were all nervous, but me and Ny kept it together, and here we are.”
Shaffer is 47-3 in three seasons and was the winning pitcher Friday for the third time in district finals. She doesn’t overpower hitters. She struck out only two but forced a lot of popups and ground balls that her defense handled flawlessly.
“I’ve got Greg Maddux,” Newland said, referring to the Hall of Fame pitcher known for his pinpoint control. “And we’re riding her and we’re playing defense around her.”
Wright had three hits, including a seventh-inning homer, and walked twice. She also made a long running catch near the fence in the fifth inning to preserve the shutout.
“Every day Ny is the best player on the field,” Newland said. “She steps on the field and demands respect. When Ny goes, we go. She runs the show.”
The Wave jumped to a 4-0 lead in the second inning on a throwing error, Wright’s two-run double and Baughn’s double that scored Wright.
“Nothing’s different at that point,” Wright said. “We make it as if we’re down 4-0. We play as if we’re losing because if you play as if you’re winning that’s when the other team takes advantage of you, and then you lose.”
Spurlock followed his plan to use multiple pitchers to try to throw off Greenville’s hitters. Samantha Iannarino pitched the first two innings, Alayna Crouch the next four and Madison Minges the seventh. But Greenville kept hitting. Baughn doubled in Wright in the fourth and the Wave added three more in the sixth.
“We don’t have any standouts, but I have a lot of solid pitchers who do different things,” Spurlock said. “I was hoping to mix it up, but it didn’t work out quite as planned.”
About the Author