Lisbon falls in Districts

JUSTIN SMOLKVICH
NORTH LIMA — Sometimes its best to just throw conventional thinking right out the window. Thinking outside the box is exactly what Ursuline’s Nikka Bonamase did Wednesday afternoon as her team squared off against Lisbon in the district semifinals at the South Range sports complex in North Lima.

With her squad trailing 2-0 in the fifth inning, Bonamase was facing three balls against her. Not once this season has Bonamase not taken a swing with the count that far in her favor but her coach signaled for her to watch the pitch — Wednesday she didn’t listen to her coach.

It’s a good thing for the Lady Irish that she didn’t.

Bonamase, a senior catcher, roped a shot into right field that scored two base runners and sent her to third base. As Bonamase tagged third the Lady Blue Devils threw an errant throw that allowed her to slide into home plate for the winning run as her team went onto to drop Lisbon, 3-2.

Even with the odds against her late in the game, Bonamase said she felt little pressure.

“I was just glad I was up,” an energetic Bonamase said following the game. “I knew no matter what that we weren’t losing this game. I have all the confidence in the world. When we play our game, no one can beat us.”

Ursuline head coach Michael Kernan admitted that he was hoping Bonamase wouldn’t heed his advice of taking the pitch if it was within striking distance.

“That was the first time all year that I didn’t give her a take on a 3-0 pitch,” he said. “I was hoping that if it was close she would take it though. I just didn’t think she was going to have a pitch to hit.”

She did and the rest is history as they say.

But things weren’t nearly as exciting for Ursuline early.

In the third inning the Lady Blue Devils built a 2-0 lead on a fielding error that allowed Amanda Derenberger and Dana Hipple to cross home plate, giving the Lisbon and their loyal contingent reason to believe that their history of tough losses in district play would soon come to a end.

But after Bonamase’s clutch hitting, the Lady Blue Devils were handed their third-straight district semifinal loss in a row.

Following the game Lisbon head coach Dave Crismon said the loss was painful.

“Just real disappointed,” he said. “We always step onto the field and think we are going to win. In a game like that it came down to one big hit.”

Crismon said that the one big hit was due to the determination of Bonamase.

“That’s presence of mind of a great ballplayer,” he said of the Ursuline catcher. “She was a nemesis all day.” Bonamase finished the day with a double to go along with her big triple in the fifth inning.

But while Bonamase stole the show late in the game, for most of the contest, both team’s pitchers were front and center.

For the Lady Irish it was sophomore Casey Lower, who struck out eight Lady Blue Devils’ batters in seven innings while Lisbon was paced by Erica Snoddy who struck out five batters in her first loss of the season.

Crismon said he was proud of not only Snoddy’s performance but of his entire senior group that had according to him, overachieved all season long.

“She just did what she did all year — she pitched hard,” he said. “I thought she pitched well enough to win.”

“I’m just real proud of the girls. It’s been a great season, I’m super proud. I’m going to miss these seniors.”

Lisbon ends its season with a record of 22-2.