High school softball: Brunswick has Faith (Vlcek, that is) in dominant sectional win over Wooster

BRUNSWICK — With solid sticks up and down the lineup, the Brunswick softball team never loses faith. Or Faith (Vlcek). The leadoff-hitting shortstop belted two triples and two doubles, scored four times and drove in a pair of runs Wednesday as the seventh-seeded Blue Devils rolled to a 16-2 five-inning win over No. 23 Wooster in a Brunswick Division I Sectional final. Brunswick (18-6), which was 17-for-27 at the plate (.630) and finished with four triples and three doubles for a 1.037 slugging percentage against the Generals (9-12), will host 17th-seeded St. Joseph Academy in a district semifinal Monday at 5:30 p.m. The Jaguars advanced with a 7-1 victory over No. 10 Westlake. "I'm just trying to hit the ball and get on base," Vlcek said. "That's pretty much my main goal." Vlcek claimed to have been in a bit of a slump — she conceded that means hitting .400 for a short stretch for her — but the sophomore was on fire all day against Wooster. She opened with a triple to deep center and added another three-bagger to the left-center gap in the fourth. In between, she had doubles down the left-field line and to left-center while compiling a 2.500 slugging percentage for the day. Vlcek got plenty of help, too, as the Blue Devils scored five runs on six hits in the first, three runs on two hits in the second, three runs on five hits in the third and five runs on four hits in the fourth. Every batter in the lineup had at least one hit, and eight of the nine had at least a hit and a walk or a triple. "We're pretty good," Vlcek said when asked to assess her team's hitting. "It always makes it nice mentally to know your teammates are there to back you up." The Generals committed three errors, but all Brunswick runs were earned thanks to the efforts of Vlcek, Sam Timar (3 singles, hit by pitch, 2 RBIs, 3 runs), Katie O'Malley (triple, 2 singles, walk, 2 runs), Kourtney Abshire (double, walk, RBI, run), Maddy Hicks (single, walk, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), Emily Savage (2 singles, RBI, run) and Ellie Germano (triple, run). That made life in the circle easy for Germano (4-0), who went the distance and gave up one earned run, six hits, two walks and hit two batters while striking out a pair. "If I'm not doing my best, I know my team's bats are going to come alive and pick us up," the left-hander said. "It was definitely not my best day, but my defense was out there helping me. I was trying to pitch inside, and I went a little too inside a few times." Germano got a strikeout to escape a bases-loaded jam in the first and stranded two in the second, one in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth. Though her defense made a pair of errors, center fielder Abshire ended the game by making a diving catch and throwing to Vlcek at second for a double play, while catcher Maddie O'Malley did an excellent job calling pitches. "After I reset myself, I brought myself back together," Germano said. "We all bond together well. We always pick each other up." Offensively, the Blue Devils are so good they compete among themselves to see who can put up the best numbers. Vlcek was tops against Wooster, but a lot of other players have had their turn this season. "It's good to challenge one another," Vlcek said. "You have to work hard and keep a good, positive mindset." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter. Brunswick 16, Wooster 2 (5 inn.) Brunswick Division I Sectional Final WOOSTER 010 10 — 2 6 3 BRUNSWICK 533 5x — 16 17 2 WP — Ellie Germano (4-0) 5 innings, 2 runs, 1 earned, 2 walks, 2 hit by pitches, 2 strikeouts. LP — Addie Wharter (8-5) 1 inning, 5 runs, 5 earned, 6 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts. Wooster (9-12) — Tori Pettorini double, walk, RBI; Kaylee Russell 2 singles, Paige Becker single, double. Brunswick (18-6) — Faith Vlcek 2 doubles, 2 triples, 4 runs, 2 RBIs; Sam Timar 3 singles, hit by pitch, 2 RBIs, 3 runs; Katie O'Malley triple, 2 singles, walk, 2 runs; Kourtney Abshire double, walk, RBI, run; Maddy Hicks single, walk, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Emily Savage 2 singles, RBI, run; Germano triple, run.