By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP
Advance Managing Editor
Entering the district playoffs with a perfect in-district record of 10-0 and two previous victories over their first-round foe, the Northview Lady Chiefs were looking for a long run in the playoffs. Instead, they took an early exit as Ponce de Leon crushed their hopes with a 6-4 victory.
Northview came into the game against Ponce having shut them out, 6-0 and 10-0, in their regular season matchups.
The Lady Chiefs were on the verge of a comeback in their final at-bat, but the final out was recorded when umpires ruled that a runner on third did not tag up before leaving third base to score.
Errors were the key to the victory for Ponce as the Lady Chiefs were guilty of five miscues in the field.
Ponce took the lead in the top of the second inning when they scored two runs. They added another run in the top of the third.
Northview got on the board and cut the lead to only one, 2-1, when two Lady Chiefs came around to score.
But, Ponce opened their lead to two runs in the top of the fourth when they scored another run.
The score remained 4-2 until the bottom of the fifth as Northview brought a runner around, making it a one-run game once again.
Ponce continued to keep themselves at a safe distance as they scored two more runs in the top of the sixth to make the score 6-3.
Northview was rallying in the bottom of the seventh and had scored one run when the final out was recorded.
Stephanie Hayes was not as dominant as she had been in earlier games, but she did pitch well as she gave up nine hits, seven walks and struck out six batters. Of the six runs scored, only two were earned.
Leading Northview at the plate was Hayes who went three for four. Kay Spence accounted for three of the Lady Chiefs' RBIs in the game. She went one for four with the key hit being a double. Stacy Ward got NHS' only other hit as she went one for three. In all, the Lady Chiefs only had five hits.
Head Coach Sammy Day said the loss came as a big disappointment for the entire team.
Despite the early loss in the playoffs, Day is still impressed by how his team played this season.
The Lady Chiefs complete the season with an overall record of 16-4.