AKRON – Wanting to put runs on the scoreboard early, Jim Speicher moved seniors Kelsey Dotson and Kendra Marshall to the top of the batting order Friday evening. The Warsaw Community High School softball coach’s plan worked to perfection, as the dynamic duo led off the game at county rival Tippecanoe Valley with back-to-back home runs. When the dust settled, the Lady Tigers left Akron with a dominating 15-1 win in five innings. Dotson and Marshall, normally Warsaw’s third and fourth batters in the lineup, combined to hit four home runs and three doubles. “We wanted to get on them early,” said Speicher, whose team closed the regular season with a 17-9 record. “Kelsey’s never hit leadoff in her life. We knew on paper we should win the game, and we didn’t want to give Valley any confidence, so I moved Dotson and Marshall to the top of the lineup. They both hit the ball well.” The Indiana University-bound Dotson finished the game 3 for 3 with a pair of home runs. Marshall, who will play collegiately at Division I Valparaiso University, was 5 for 5 with a pair of homers and a trio of doubles. Dotson now has 11 home runs this season, while Marshall upped her total to nine. “Their first two hitters were responsible for 10 runs,” said Valley coach John Strong, whose team fell to 7-16. “They led off the game with back-to-back homers, that kind of took our breath away. We got in a hole early.” In all, the Lady Tigers pounded out 19 hits in the win. They put two runs on the board in the first inning, five in the second, five more in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth. “When a team has a duo like that, it’s hard to beat them,” Strong said of the Lady Tigers. “They’re pretty good offensively.” Eight different batters got a hit in the game for Warsaw. Senior Sam Bennett, juniors Emily Stouder, Kayla Snider and Kiera Stahly, and freshman Taylor Stiver had two hits each for the Lady Tigers. Sophomore Ashley Ousley and Snider both hit a double. “We got a lot of offensive out of the top of the lineup to start the game, and then we got a lot of production out of the middle,” said Speicher. “We put the bat on the ball.” Valley’s lone run came on a home run in the bottom of the first inning by junior Mariah Benzing. “She’s been batting right under .550 this year,” Strong said of Benzing. “She’s got four or five home runs. She went into a little slump during our TRC schedule, but she’s been a solid hitter for us all season.” The Lady Vikings only had two other hits in the loss, singles by sophomores Robyn Dunnuck and Kelsey Eckert. While her teammates were taking care of business at the plate, Warsaw senior Cari O’Hara was doing so in the pitcher’s circle. O’Hara worked four innings Friday, giving up just one hit, one run and two walks. With her 15th win of the season, O’Hara set a new school record for single-season victories. “We got what we wanted to get out of Cari O’Hara tonight,” said Speicher. “She’s logged a lot of innings this year, and she’s looked a little tired. We only used her four innings tonight, and she pitched well. She set a new school record for wins.” Sophomore Alexa Glass pitched the fifth inning for the Lady Tigers, giving up two hits. Valley freshman Kassidy Shepherd was charged with the loss. In four innings of work, Shepherd gave up 17 hits and 14 runs. She walked four and struck out one. Eckert came on in relief of Shepherd and gave up two hits, a run and one walk. Valley is in action again today in a tournament at Culver, then against Lakeland Monday in sectional action at Fairfield. The Lady Tigers open state tournament play Monday against sectional host Elkhart Memorial.
WARSAW 15, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 1 (5 innings) War 255 21 – 15 19 0 TV 100 00 – 1 3 1 Karissa Shepherd (L, 4IP, 19H, 14R, 1K, 4BB), Kelsey Eckert (5th, 2H, 1R, 1BB) and Kieli Perkins; Cari O’Hara (W, 4IP, 1H, 1R, 2BB), Alexa Glass (5th, 2H, 0R, 0BB) and Kelsey Dotson 2B – Kendra Marshall (W) 3, Ashley Ousley (W), Kayla Snider (W) HR – Dotson (W) 2, Marshall (W) 2, Mariah Benzing (TV) Records: Warsaw 17-9, T. Valley 7-16
