Seniors’ seasoned season

By Tom Williams

CANFIELD softball

Experience is factor in dominance

AKRON — Early success created high expectations for Canfield High’s softball players.

Saturday, the senior-laden lineup achieved a dream when the Cardinals shut out Celina 6-0 to win the Division II state championship, the first for the program.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” senior first baseman Bryanne Halfhill said. “We’re graduating tomorrow and today we’re playing in a state championship game. This has been the best week of our lives.”

Senior ace left-hander Tricia Bettura (17-2) scattered four hits to toss her third shutout in her final four tournament games. She also struck out 10 and walked none.

“I can’t ask for anything more, I’m so excited,” Bettura said.

All seven of Canfield’s seniors contributed a hit, with Bettura, Melissa West and Bryanne Halfhill connecting off Celina senior Laura Homan for two apiece. Freshman Melanie West also had two hits as the Cardinals (23-4-1) pounded out 13 hits.

Lauren Sulick drove in three runs while Rachel Melewski, Mandy Moliterno and Brittany Danilov singled.

“It’s been a senior year for us,” Canfield coach Ronie Haurin said. “They have been super leaders and great role models for the younger players. I am exceptionally proud and happy for them that they’ve finally [won] their state championship.”

Under Haurin’s guidance, the Cardinals were 74-10 the past three seasons. In 2006 and 2007, the Cardinals lost in the Div. I regional tournament to the eventual state champions.

That experience was a key factor in Canfield’s dominance at state and kept them calm.

Celina coach Nicole Driggs admitted her team had jitters because of the large crowd at Firestone Stadium.

“It looked more like a basketball game [crowd],” Driggs said. “They handled it better than we did. We played nervous.”

The Cardinals played errorless ball while the Bulldogs committed three.

“It was our last game either way, so we really had nothing to lose,” said Melissa West who singled in the first inning, took second on a throwing error and came home on Bettura’s single.

The Cardinals’ one senior moment came when Bettura remained on first base as the ball sailed past Bulldogs catcher Kinzie Gardner. Canfield first base coach Katie Serensky gave Bettura a playful shove toward second base, resulting in an interference call that ended the inning.

Two pitches into the third inning, the Cardinals were threatening when Bianca Bondillo singled and Melewski beat out a bunt. Three pitches later, the rally was over as Danilov, West and Bettura popped out.

Canfield’s lead grew to 2-0 in the fourth inning when Melanie West singled and pinch runner Kasey McMurray scored on Halfhill’s double.

The fifth inning was a 40-pitch nightmare for Homan as the Cardinals converted five hits and an outfield error into three runs.

“Wow, their hitters one through nine were strong,” Driggs said. “It just seemed like consistent line-drive hitting.

“And they had a strong pitcher on the mound, a great pitcher,” Driggs said. “She was the best pitcher we faced this year.”

From the fifth inning on, Bettura allowed two hits. Both were stranded.

“It doesn’t get easier,” Bettura said. “You have to focus on each batter and not worry about the hits.”

In the seventh inning, Halfhill and West had trouble keeping smiles off their faces as the inevitable conclusion approached.

Halfhill said the team felt like they had arrived “at the moment we’ve been waiting for basically our whole career.”

West had no worries.

“With two outs in the seventh, I knew Tricia or our defense was going to come through,” West said. “There was nothing to worry about so I felt we could show our smiles a little bit.”

Commenting on how the team’s core has been playing together “since we were 10 years old,” Bettura said, “just knowing that I had Melissa to the right and Bryanne to the left, and the rest of the defense behind me was the best feeling in the world.”

williams@vindy.com