Staff photo / Neel Madhavan South Range’s Anna Aey (00) fouls off a pitch right before hitting the game-winning three-run double during Monday’s district semifinal victory over LaGrange Keystone in Beaver Township.

BEAVER TOWNSHIP — At the start of spring, South Range had cautiously high hopes.

The Raiders returned most of their team that finished as the Division III state runner up last year, but head coach Jeff DeRose was mindful about the 2017 team that faced similar circumstances.

Coming off a state runner-up finish in 2016, that group also returned most of its team but ended up bowing out in the district semifinal to Cardinal Mooney the next season.

However, this year’s Raiders team was determined to not let history repeat itself, as No. 6 seed South Range dominated 10th-seeded LaGrange Keystone 12-2 in five innings on Monday in the Division V, Northeast 2 district semifinal.

“We know the history that Keystone has — they have many state championships and they come to play,” DeRose said. “But at the end of the day, we won by mercy rule. To beat a team like that in five innings, we’re getting hot at the right time. It’s pretty amazing how we’re playing right now. I thought about that game — I can’t remember who we played back then, but it was just good to get this behind us.”

By the Raiders’ own standards, this spring hasn’t necessarily unfolded in the way that they envisioned.

For the first time since 2019, South Range didn’t earn at least a share of the Northeast 8 Conference title. Plus, at 19-9, the Raiders also have their most losses since 2019 when they went 20-8.

But South Range knows it still has the talent to get back to Akron, and according to DeRose, the Raiders have “flipped a switch” since their most recent loss to Tallmadge on May 10.

“We talked to the girls and said, ‘You’re better than you’re playing,’ and they’ve proved it since,” DeRose said. “After our last loss, our motto was, no more losses. The girls are serious about the season now. The losses are the losses, and there’s some games that we actually gave away. But I’m telling you right now, if we played ball in those losses like we’re playing now, we may not have a loss. I think we’re firing on all cylinders right now.”

Against Keystone, South Range’s bats started to catch fire in the second inning, as the Raiders racked up 13 total hits for the game.

Anna Aey got things started with a lead-off double that led to RBIs from Keira Brogan, Heidi Bartels, Solena DeJesus and Sophia Brogan for a four-run inning.

For Keira Brogan, after only pinch hitting in recent games, it was her first full game back in the lineup after battling back from an ACL injury that she sustained early in the winter during basketball season. She finished 1-for-2 on Monday, including an RBI double.

“She’s worked hard all season, and when we were in open gym when softball started in February, she was constantly working out to get better, knowing that this was a possibility to come back in May,” DeRose said. “She’s cleared (by the doctor) to hit and run, but she can’t play in the field (yet). Having her bat back in the lineup is huge, and she showed it today.”

After adding a run with an RBI from Bartels in the third inning, the Raiders went back to work in the fourth.

South Range loaded the bases, which allowed a run to score on a passed ball. Then Jayli Wilt belted a two-run double to push the Raiders’ lead to 8-0.

“I definitely would say that we’ve hit a different gear,” Aey said. “Season wasn’t really what we had hoped for compared to last year. But throughout the season, we eventually stopped comparing ourselves to last year’s team because we realized we’re not that team anymore. Now that tournament season’s hit, we realize this is do or die now.”

The Wildcats finally got on the board in the top of the fifth with a two-run double from Jordan Owca after back-to-back hits to lead off the inning by Bry Keating and Aralyn Gould.

Sitting on a six-run lead, South Range knew it could end things with four runs. After loading the bases yet again, the Raiders got their chance.

Keystone pitcher Sam Pugh walked Wilt to score the first run, and then Aey blasted her third double of the evening to clear the bases and score three runs to finish things off.

“We wanted to end it there,” Aey said with a smile. “We were talking about it in the dugout. Me and Keira Brogan, we were talking about it when they had that little meeting — she was like, ‘Hey, grand slam here.’ Then I said, ‘No, don’t say that to me.’ So she goes, ‘Nah, just a little poke.’ So I just went into the (batter’s) box with the mentality of ‘I’m going to get a hit.'”

South Range’s win sets up a matchup with No. 7 seed Wooster Triway on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Dalton for the Division V, Northeast 2 district championship. The Titans advanced Monday with an 11-6 win over No. 4 seed Creston Norwayne in the other district semifinal.