Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

PORTSMOUTH — It was supposed to be a close game.
It was.
Portsmouth Notre Dame’s Cassie Schaefer outdueled the Symmes Valley tandem of Sarah Kingery and Kara Saunders as the Lady Titans held off the Lady Vikings 3-2 on Monday in a Southern Ohio Conference game.
Schaefer stuck out nine and walked two while allowing five hits.
Kingery and Saunders had one walked each as well as one earned run. They gave up a combined five hits.
“It was a well-played game by both teams,” said Lady Vikings’ Jeff “Odie” Estep. “Their pitcher is pretty good. It took us a while to figure her out and we just came up a little short.”
Notre Dame got a run in the first when Smith doubled and scored on an error.
The Lady Titans made it 3-0 in the third when Isabel Cassidy walked, Claire Dettwiller singled and Schaefer had a two-run double.
Symmes Valley (5-2, 2-1) got a run in the fourth.
Rachael Hayes doubled to start the inning, moved up on ground out and scored when Saunders hit a sacrifice fly.
The Lady Vikings tried to tie the game in the seventh only to fall short.
Ericca Ross walked, and Emily Estep and Kelsie Gothard singled to score courtesy runner Maggie Wise. But three straight ground outs ended the game.
The two teams meet at Symmes Valley on Wednesday.
Sym. Valley 000 100 1 = 2 5 1
Notre Dame 102 000 x = 3 5 0
Sarah Kingery, Kara Saunders (4) and Ericca Ross. Cassie Schaefer and Baylee Webb. W-Schaefer (K-9, BB-2). L-Kingery (IP-2.0, K-0, BB-1, H-2, R-2, ER-1). Saunders (IP-4.0, H-3, R-1, ER-1, K-0, BB-1). Hitting-SV: Rachael Hayes 2-4 2B, Sarah Kingery 1-2, Emily Estep 1-3, Kelsie Gothard 2-3; PND: Taylor Schmidt 1-3 2B, Claire Dettwiller 1-3, Cassie Schaefer 1-3 2B, Suter 1-3, Paetyn Collins 1-3.