High school softball: Brunswick beats Maumee at Prebis Invitational

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — The Brunswick softball team had to slow down before it could run Saturday. A little too eager for the slower speed of Maumee pitcher Julia Coutcher, the Blue Devils struggled the first time through the lineup before coming alive to beat the Panthers 6-4 at the Prebis Memorial Invitational hosted by Victory Park. Trailing 2-0 entering the top of the third inning, Brunswick coach Julie Salzman gathered her team outside the dugout before coming to bat. The message was simple. "Just get some hits," Madison Miller said of the speech. "Just get some hits. That was pretty much it." Miller obliged with a single that ticked off third baseman Lillie Nye's glove and into left field to score Sophia Trush. Trush got on base by bunting for the first hit for the Blue Devils (10-7). Miller's hit followed a fly ball by Abbey Nemec that plated Kealyn Stolarski for Brunswick's first run. Maumee (8-6) retook the lead in its half of the inning on a ground-rule double by Jamie Brooks that bounced through the temporary fencing used on the multi-sport fields to create three diamonds on artificial turf. Blue Devils starting pitcher Lyla Kaye did a fantastic job of limiting damage despite the Panthers applying consistent pressure. Kaye tossed a complete game, allowing three earned runs on 13 hits to go with five strikeouts. Maumee got three hits from leadoff hitter Autumn Gugger, as well as two from Taryn Pyle, Taylor Smith (triple), Coutcher (double) and Servais. Kaye got some help from strong defensive plays, most notably a diving stop and throw to first by Nemec at second base and a well-executed out at home plate between Nemec and catcher Lilly Leichliter that caught Coutcher on a double steal attempt. Brunswick took the lead in the fifth when Addison Compton ripped a single to center field that scored Gabbie Diamond and Miller. Diamond previously reached on an error and Miller was hit by a pitch. Compton's at-bat was the first against reliever Courtney Bell, who came on trying to protect a 3-2 advantage. "I knew I didn't need a big hit. I just needed to get it through the infield," Compton said. "The runners were in scoring position, so I was just focused on hitting a good pitch and not hitting bad pitches." Miller gave Brunswick an insurance run in the sixth inning when she lined her second single to center to score Kaelyn Stolarski. Stolarski followed her hit in the sixth with another in the seventh, as this one scored Kiley Williams, who came on to pinch hit one at-bat earlier and roped a base hit to center. "We were a little rough this morning, coming out in the cold, but we picked it up quickly after the first inning," Miller said. "We adjusted to the pitching, because yesterday we saw much faster pitching, and that was our big difference for the day." Maumee tried to rally in the seventh, with Smith ripping a triple to start the frame and scoring on a ground out, but Kaye retired the next three batters. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Brunswick 6, Maumee 4 Prebis Memorial Classic at Victory Park BRUNSWICK 002 021 1 — 6 10 1 MAUMEE 111 000 1 — 4 13 2 WP — Lyla Kaye (4-4) 7 innings, 3 earned runs, 5 strikeouts. LP — Courtney Bell 2 1/3 innings, 2 runs, 1 earned, 6 hits, strikeout. Brunswick (10-7) — Madison Miller 2 singles, run, 2 RBIs; Addison Compton 2 singles, 2 RBIs; Kaelyn Stolarski 2 singles, 2 runs, RBI. Maumee (8-6) —Autumn Gugger 3 singles, run; Taryn Pyle 2 singles; Taylor Smith single, triple, run, RBI; Julia Coutcher single, double, run; Olivia Servais 2 singles, run; Jamie Brooks double, RBI.