High school softball: No suspense this time as brunswick blasts Medina

BRUNSWICK — This time, there was no suspense. After beating Medina in a pair of very close Greater Cleveland Conference games in the regular season, the sixth-seeded Brunswick softball team dominated from start to finish Wednesday in downing the 16th-seeded Bees 13-3 in five innings in a Division I, Northeast 4 Sectional final at Herron Park. The Blue Devils (14-8) advanced to play No. 7 Midview, a 9-3 winner over No. 11 Wadsworth, in a district semifinal Monday at 2:30 p.m. at the Roehm Athletic Complex in Berea. Brunswick beat the Middies 9-0 on April 8. Medina, which fell to 9-14 but also beat Midview in the regular season, will conclude its year by hosting Strongsville in GCC play Friday. "To be honest, I thought it was going to be closer than this," said No. 8 hitter Giovanna Diligente, who had a single, two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored as Brunswick pounded out two more hits (15) than it committed outs. "I'm very happy we came out the way we did and showed them we are the Blue Devils." Brunswick jumped all over Medina starter Madison Thiemeke (4-7), who gave up six runs and six hits in one-plus inning of work. The big blow was a three-run homer by No. 6 hitter Kourtney Abshire, which came immediately after Sofia Veres beat out an infield single to keep the first inning alive. It was Abshire's second home run of the year, both coming against Medina, which lost 6-4 and 5-4 to the Blue Devils in the regular season. "I wanted to get the runners in," said the junior, who was batting with the Blue Devils holding a 1-0 lead. "That was more important than hitting the home run. The pitch was pretty high, and I was able to drive it far instead of straight up." Abshire, who also singled and walked twice while finishing with four RBIs and three runs scored, credited Veres, who had two singles, got hit by a pitch and scored twice, for giving her the opportunity. "We're taught to run everything out," she said. "Every base is important. I'm really glad Sofia was able to beat it out." Brunswick, which added two runs in the second inning, three each in the third and fourth and the mercy-rule run in the fifth after Medina scored three times in the top half of the inning, had a lot of standout hitting performances. Faith Vlcek had two singles, an RBI and a run, Morgan Kinney had two singles, a double, an RBI and scored twice, Sam Timar had a double, walk and run and Ellie Williams had a double, walk and two RBIs. "It's almost always a good game against them," winning pitcher Aaliyah Radwan said. "We just came out ready to play and were excited to be here." Radwan (7-4) gave up just one hit and faced only 13 batters over the first four innings before the Bees, trailing 12-0, scored three times on three hits and a walk in the top of the fifth. "I wanted to hit again," joked Radwan, the only Brunswick starter without a hit prior to roping a game-ending line drive over a drawn-in outfield in the bottom of the fifth. Sadie Hill had two of Medina's four hits, while Amelia Cassidy forced Brunswick to bat again with a two-run single. Cassidy also made a great diving catch in center field, while Natalie McGraw threw out a runner from deep in the hole at shortstop and Katie Rubino made a nice grab of a line drive to left. "We did a good job of keeping our energy up," Hill said. "I don't think we let anything get us down. Even though we lost, I'm happy we played hard until the end." Radwan went the distance for the Blue Devils, walking one, hitting one and striking out one. Medina hit a number of balls hard, but Brunswick's defense was stellar. "It's great knowing the team is behind you and can make any play," Radwan said. "It makes it easier to go out there when you're ahead. You don't want to make a mistake, but if you do, you have some insurance." The only negative for Brunswick was a knee injury suffered by second baseman and No. 2 pitcher Timar when she collided with right fielder Veres in the fifth inning. Timar tried to get up and walk after being looked over by a trainer but went back down before leaving the field on a cart. She was taken to an area hospital to undergo an MRI. "That's really a downer," Diligente said. "I hope she's OK and makes a fast recovery. She's a tough girl." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter. Brunswick 13, Medina 3 (5 inn.) Division I, Northeast 4 Sectional Final MEDINA 000 03 — 3 4 2 BRUNSWICK 423 31 — 13 15 0 One out when mercy-rule run scored. WP — Aaliyah Radwan (7-4) 5 innings, 3 earned runs, 4 hits, walk, hit batter, 1 strikeout. LP — Madison Thiemeke (4-7) 1 inning, 6 runs, 6 earned, 6 hits, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts. Medina (9-14) — Sadie Hill 2 singles, Amelia Cassidy single, 2 RBIs. Brunswick (14-8) — Kourtney Abshire single, home run, 2 walks, 4 RBIs, 3 runs; Giovanna Diligente single, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Faith Vlcek 2 singles, RBI, run; Morgan Kinney 2 singles, double, RBI, 2 runs; Sofia Veres 2 singles, hit by pitch, 2 runs; Sam Timar double, walk, run; Ellie Williams double, walk, 2 RBIs.