Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

It was senior day and senior pitcher Alex Holtzapfel was game.
Unfortunately, her back wasn’t.
Holtzapfel hurt her back in the previous game but tried to pitch through it on Saturday. But the back didn’t cooperate as could go only two innings as the St. Joseph Lady Flyers fell 17-8 to the Federal Hocking Lady Lancers.
Despite the loss, the Lady Flyers had one of their biggest offensive hitting outputs of the season as they banged out 14 hits.
Emma Whaley was 2-2 and senior Kelsey Malone 2-3 to lead the hit parade.
Holtzapfel was 2-4 as was senior Paige Preston. Kaitlyn Sheridan was 2-5, senior Isabella Griffiths 1-3 and Bella Whaley 1-4.
Federal Hocking had 13 hits but were aided by seven errors.
The Lady Lancers got a run in the first on two errors and then scored five runs in the second inning on a walk, a hit batsman, a passed ball, a single and a double and an error.
The Lady Flyers got a run in their half of the inning when Preston singled, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Emma Whaley’s RBI single.
The Lady Lancers scored four runs in the third as they used a hit batsman, a double, a single, three straight walks and a fielder’s choice to lead 10-1.
St. Joseph answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning.
Griffiths and Malone singled, move d up on a wild pitch and scored on a two-run single by Holtzapfel who went to second on the throw home.
Preston followed with an RBI single, Emma Whaley got a hit and Lydia Sheridan delivered an RBI single.
St. Joseph manufactured a run in the fourth thanks to Malone who was hit by a pitch, stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-6.
A walk, two singles and a double gave Federal Hocking three runs in the fifth to lead 13-6.
The Lady Flyers got a run back in the fifth when Emma Whaley walked, stole second and scored on Kaitlyn Sheridan’s RBI single.
St. Joseph cut the deficit to 13-8 in the six on Emma Whaley’s run-scoring single after Malone singled and stole second.
The Lady Lancers got four insurance runs in the seventh.
St. Joseph will host Lucasville Valley at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 6, in the sectional tournament.
Fed. Hocking 154 030 4 = 17 13 0
St. Joseph 014 111 0 = 8 14 7
WP-Wilkes (ER-8, K-6, BB-4, HBP-1). L-Alex Holtzapfel IP-2.0, R-8, ER-5, K-3, BB-1, HBP=2). Kelsey Malone (IP5.0, H-10, R-9, ER-7, K-5, BB-4, HBP-1). Hitting-Emma Whaley 2-2, Kelsey Malone 2-3, Lydia Sheridan 2-4, Alex Holtzapfel 2-4, Paige Preston 2-4, Kaitlyn Sheridan 2-5, Isabella Griffiths 1-3, Bella Whaley 1-4.