Keystone ends Bulldogs’ tournament run
By JIM NAVEAU
419-993-2087
jnaveau@limanews.com

   BUCYRUS — LaGrange Keystone’s players waited out a 1-½ hour rain delay during their 8-2 win over Elida in the Division II softball regional title game Saturday at Bucyrus by watching “Phantom of the Opera” on a portable DVD player.
   Unfortunately for Elida, that was the only thing connected with Keystone that was an apparition.
   The Wildcats, headed for the state tournament for the third straight season, were as good as advertised.
   After winning its first five tournament games by shutouts, Elida fell victim to an eight-run outburst in the fourth and fifth innings by Keystone.
   The Wildcats took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, then after the long rain delay, added five more runs in the fifth inning.
Elida finished its season 25-6. Keystone is 27-4.
   The two teams battled through 3 ½ scoreless innings before Keystone’s Jessica Bailey dropped a two-run, two-out single into short left field in the bottom of the fourth. The next batter, Amanda Jones, doubled to score Bailey.
   Keystone added five more runs in the fifth inning with the big hit being a three-run double by shortstop Katie Bell, who will play for Butler University next season.
Elida got its two runs in the top of the seventh and had the bases loaded when the game ended.
   Falling behind against Keystone junior right-hander Kristie Malinkey was a tough obstacle to overcome. She struck out 13 and allowed five hits. For the season, Malinkey has a 23-3 record, an 0.50 earned-run average and has struck out 298 in 162 innings.
   “She had command of four or five pitches and she did a great job of keeping us off balance. She is probably one of the better ones we’ve faced all year,” Elida coach Bob Elsass said.
Elida allowed an opponent to score first in only five games this season but won just one of those. Its best chance to take the lead was in the top of the fourth when Samantha Conrad led off with a double abd moved up on a ground out, but was stranded at third base.
   “We had an opportunity, we had a runner on third base and one out, but we could just not get the ball on the ground to get her through. Had we gotten on top first, I think maybe the kids would have gone back to their old type of style and said, ‘Now it’s in Jeanne’s hands and Jeanne will take us through,’” Elsass said.
   Keystone coach Jim Piazza called Bailey’s two-run single to start the scoring “the biggest hit of her year and our year.
   “That got everything going and got everybody excited a little bit and got the juices flowing,” he said.
Hilvers struck out seven and allowed seven hits. All of the hits came in the fourth and fifth innings.
   When she returned to the mound after the rain delay, she was bothered by a split fingernail on the second finger of her pitching hand.
   “She had no breaking pitch after that but that really had no effect on the outcome on the game,” Elsass said.
   “You’re coming off that bus and you’ve had time to think about being down 3-0. You just didn’t know. You get that major timeout between innings and you kind of have to play it by ear, how the kids are going to react. I thought the kids came back and finished it off pretty strong really,” he said.
   Conrad led Elida by going 3 for 4.
Elida’s regional runner-up trophy matched the best finish in softball in school history. This year was the sixth time it played in a softball regional.