High school softball: Dezirae Thomas engine for Midview in 8-0 win over Elyria

EATON TWP. — Junior shortstop Dezirae Thomas knows her role for Midview, and she played it to perfection Wednesday on the beautiful new turf and lighted field behind the school. Thomas tripled, walked twice and doubled, scoring four times from her leadoff position as the Middies remained in a tie for first place in the Southwestern Conference with an 8-0 win over Elyria. Midview (14-5 overall, 9-3 SWC), Berea-Midpark (11-7, 8-3) and Amherst (11-7, 7-3) are battling for the prize. Elyria (12-6, 5-6), coming off an eight-inning, 2-0 win over Amherst on Tuesday, saw its four-game win streak snapped. "It's great to come out here and get hits and get things going," said Thomas. "Obviously we need runs on the board to win and I do everything I can and take every opportunity and literally run with it." Run, or in her case "runs," for sure. Her triple to left field on a 1-2 count started the game. After two outs, she flew home with the first run on a wild pitch to give the Middies the only run they would need. She walked in the third inning on a full count and eventually scored again with two outs on a wild pitch after Savannah Holcomb and Jillian Vandersluis drew walks to move her to third. It remained 2-0 through four innings as the youthful Pioneers, with five freshman starters, kept it close. Thomas led off the fifth with another full-count walk and again scurried around the bases to score on a throwing error. Midview wound up scoring three times in the fifth and added another 3-spot in the sixth with Thomas doubling to left and eventually scoring to get things going again. "I think hitting is contagious," said Midview coach Cassie Haight. "Sometimes when it's colder, it takes a little bit of a slower start." In the field, Thomas made all the plays. She took the throw from sophomore center fielder Arrianna Presser to tag out Elyria's JanaLynn Herbert trying to stretch a hard-hit single into extra bases in the fifth inning and she took a toss from senior second baseman Nina Bellachino to force Braylee Beckham to cool off a potential rally in the sixth. Midview played flawlessly in the field. "We have a great, solid defensive team," Haight said. "The girls are very supportive of each other. With support comes confidence and with confidence comes great plays. Once (Holcomb) was able to really buckle down she had some great strikeouts." Holcomb fanned nine and limited Elyria to four hits and three walks — two of which were the first two batters she faced in the drizzle and cold. "It all started off wet and the rain just didn't help," she said. "I was just trying to find a grip on the ball but having my team behind me and having faith in God, that just helped me get through it. "We all just mesh really well together. It's not just a one-person game. We all play together." Midview finished with five hits but only one — Thomas' triple — through the first four off freshman pitcher Beckham. Vandersluis doubled in a run in the fifth and singled off Herbert's glove at third to drive home another. Holcomb's sacrifice fly to right and Bellachino's double drove home runs in the sixth. Elyria's four hits came from its freshmen — Camille Dunlap in the third, Hannah Quayle in the fourth, Herbert in the fifth and Kaedence Niemeyer in the seventh. Beckham struck out eight and allowed just two hits in her five innings but she walked eight. Freshman Karli Niemeyer came on in the sixth and was touched for two runs and three hits. Elyria made three errors. "Midview's maturity shows," Elyria coach Keenan Williams said. "Their top of the lineup is tough to get out. They're mature hitters and I think that showed. Too many walks, free bases — at some point they're going to burn you. Too many mistakes defensively. We're not good enough to overcome those." Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or at timothygeb@msn.com.