By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
FAUCETT - Things all seemed to be going Mid-Buchanan's way when the Dragons broke open a 1-1 tie with three runs in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth.
Entering the sixth, the Dragons had a 6-1 lead. Savannah (12-3) hadn't gotten a runner on base since the first inning.
But then suddenly, the Savages' offense woke up. Savannah scored six runs in the sixth inning, and one more insurance run in the seventh, to beat Mid-Buchanan 8-6 in varsity softball action at Mid-Buchanan High School Monday.
Savannah had just come off of a second place finish in the Chillicothe tournament Saturday, where they played four games in a day.
Having to bounce back Monday and play a solid team on the road was a tall task, and that showed early, according to head coach Mark Pettegrew.
"I think we were just a step slow and little bit out of sync early in the game and stuff," Pettegrew said. "It's a long season, but we're kind one of these teams where if one girl gets going, then it just starts stacking up and everybody hits."
Savannah struck first in the top of the first inning, thanks to an RBI single from senior catcher Taijha Davis that scored fellow senior and short stop Ella Bruner.
Mid-Buchanan (10-4) had the answer in the top of the first with an RBI double from sophomore and starting pitcher Emma Lisenbee.
The game remained tied 1-1 until the fourth inning. That's when the Dragons scored three runs on three hits and an error. Senior Raegann Frankum and junior Taiylor Harrington each had RBI singles to help Mid-Buchanan nab a 4-1 lead.
The Dragons added to that lead in the fifth, thanks in part to a single-shot home run from Lisenbee. Sophomore Paige Bennett added an RBI single to put Mid-Buchanan ahead 6-1 entering the sixth.
That's when it happened. Savannah found its stride and never looked back. An RBI double by junior Payton Hirter got things going. Then with two outs, an RBI single from junior Gracie Heitman and a two-run RBI double by junior Haley Noland made it a 6-5 ballgame.
Freshman Reagan Bauer then gave her team a 7-6 lead with a two-run homer to left field.
"I have to hand it to my teammates," Bauer said. "The confidence they had in me was just amazing. You couldn't be there without confidence, and really not getting down on ourselves in those last innings really helped me out."
Savannah added one more for good measure in the seventh inning when junior Kiara Schaub hit an RBI triple to deep left to score freshman Madison Kendall, giving Savannah an 8-6 advantage.
Mid-Buchanan went down 1-2-3 in both the sixth and seventh innings as they attempted to rally.
"They know how to win," said Pettegrew, who helped the Savages to a state runner-up finish in softball the year before. "They took second at state last year and third the year before. We just find ways to win ballgames. It's not always pretty, but our leadership...they're positive kids. I love these kids. They all work hard. Hopefully, every night, someone else steps up and helps the team."
Senior and starting pitcher Emma Tipton certainly stepped up and helped her team Monday, throwing the complete game and striking out nine batters while walking only two.
For Tipton, all of her confidence in the circle came from the success her team was having offensively. Even when her team got behind by five runs, she had little doubt.
"We came out pretty slow," Tipton said, "but, all season we'd been hitting the ball. So, I knew eventually we'd come around. In the top of the sixth, we hit the crap out of the ball and I'm not surprised about it."
Mid-Buchanan's Emma Lisenbee took the loss in the circle, despite a stellar performance in her first five innings of work. Lisenbee struck out four batters and walked only one. She allowed seven earned runs and eight hits - six of those hits and six of those runs came in the sixth inning.
Lisenbee also led the Dragons at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored.
Mid-Buchanan is back home to face Hamilton/Penney Tuesday, while Savannah goes home to face North Andrew Tuesday as well. Both games start at 4:30.
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.