AKRON Strasburg junior pitcher Zoey Thomas put together a performance to remember.
Thomas tossed a complete game two-hit shutout Friday leading the No. 3 state-ranked Tigers to a convincing 7-0 win over Defiance Tinora in a Division IV state softball semifinal game at Firestone Stadium.
Strasburg (23-5) now faces its toughest task of the tournament, playing No. 1 ranked Hillsdale (26-2) in the state final as the Tigers look for their eighth championship in school history.
First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
Thomas allowed just three base runners, giving up a pair of singles to Hannah Horn and one walk to Tristen Nordon. She was able to get the count in her favor multiple times, throwing strikes at will.
“Being able to move the ball,” Thomas said about her successful day in the circle. “Hitting my spots and not throwing anything down the plate because they are a good team and I knew they can hit the ball.”
Thomas also was impressive at the plate where she had a team-high three hits, finishing 3-for-4, including an RBI double in the Tigers’ five-run seventh inning.
The Rams, who finish 17-7 on the season, had yet to be shut out until Friday. Eight of the nine Rams batters did not have a hit.
The Rams were all victims of Thomas, who had 11 strikeouts, which included four batters who had more than one strikeout. Their second batter, Lindsay Clemens, was 0-for-3, striking out all three times she was up.
“It was awesome out there. I was really impressed with my team today. They did such a great job,” Thomas said when asked about her performance.
Just like Thomas and this group of Strasburg players, legendary head coach Bud Weisgarber has coached and taught them just like he has the previous 33 teams.
Going into today's showdown with Hillsdale, Weisgarber has one simple approach -- "Just win.”
After a scoreless first inning and both teams going down in order, it looked quickly like a pitchers duel. But in the top of the second, that all changed very quickly. Senior Emma Clark was the first batter due up in the top of the second inning and -- as she has all year -- she put her team on the board by blasting her school-tying record 12th home run to left centerfield.
The Tigers tacked on another run in the second when Ashley Downin reached first on a throwing error by Tinora pitcher Aubrey Helmke, who tried to throw across her body while falling away and the ball got a way from the the first baseman. Liv Lauvray was able to score to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Over the next five innings, Thomas allowed just the one hit, but the most intriguing stat for Thomas was being able to get the third out via a strike out for five straight innings.
Most teams wouldn’t be comfortable with just a 2-0 lead, but between the way Thomas was dealing and the fact the Strasburg is the Pittsburgh Steelers, Golden State Warriors and the New York Yankees of Ohio Division IV softball, it was more like a 100-0 lead. The Tigers just find ways to win games.
Strasburg tacked on five insurance runs in the seventh inning, off of four hits and error that put the game away.
The Tigers will look to be just the second softball team in Ohio history with eight titles, which would tie the North Canton Hoover Vikings. Akron Springfield holds the most titles with nine.
The Tigers are playing in the state title game for an 11th time.
“Hillsdale is really good. We’ve played them before, obviously. They've been the No. 1 team in the state all year. They have a really good pitcher,” said Weisgarber.
A pitchers duel ended on a wild pitch, as Hillsdale pushed across the only run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, beating No. 10 Bradford 1-0 in the other Division IV state semifinal.
Hillsdale’s Kaylee Cline drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the eighth, moved to second on Sydney Long’s single, then to third when a pop-up, ruled an infield fly, was dropped.
Bradford freshman pitcher Skipp Miller, facing Keirah Smetzer, then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Cline to scamper home and slide across with the game-ending run, pushing Hillsdale into today's state final against the Tigers.
Long was brilliant for the Falcons, scattering six hits with 13 strikeouts and one walk and also registering Hillsdale’s lone two-hit game. Her counterpart, Miller, also gave up six hits, fanning seven with just the lone walk to Cline in the eighth.