Mickey the Mouth
The Syndicate News Wire
- May 21, 2026
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OREGON - Trailing by two in the seventh inning, Brylie Ireland stepped into the batter's box with runners on first and second in a Division III district championship.
"I was really nervous," the Ontario junior said.
With no outs she proceeded to lay down as perfect a bunt as one could draw up to force Maumee into making a play that led to a throwing error and scored Brinlee Kreger. It sparked a four-run inning and the two-seeded Warriors' first district title since 2023 with a 6-4 win over No. 3 Maumee.
DIVISION IV: Clear Fork softball scores 16 in the first, wins first district title since 2017
"She has turned some things around for us this year," Ontario coach Jamee Burke said. "She's a phenomenal second baseman, I would take her over any person at second base. But then offensively she stepped up. She went 4-for-4 the other night, she had a couple base hits for us today and a beautiful bunt."
"Once I laid it down, I was nervous to run," Ireland added. "Then I was safe and I was really happy, all my teammates were cheering me on."
Her RBI bunt was followed by Saylor Smith's sacrifice fly to left field scoring Sophie Schuster and tie the game at four apiece. Ellie Dawson ripped a line drive to right field to score Ireland and Morgan Pearson added an insurance run belting one to left field to score Dawson and complete the comeback.
"It takes time for us to get used to a pitcher, but once we do the hits really string together well," Dawson said.
It was just a matter of time before the Warriors, who had scored 221 runs coming into Saturday's title game, got things going offensively. Through the first five innings they mustered just three hits and found themselves down 4-0 as the Panthers had an RBI single in the first, two-run home run in the second, and scored a fielding error in the third.
Still, Ontario never panicked.
"We've been through it a couple times where we've been down and gotten back up, the Lex game the other day we did that," Ireland said. "We just don't give up ... we like to keep pushing and we're having fun."
That mindset is something Burke has drilled into their heads.
"I really try to preach, especially on a field that we get to see all seven innings on the scoreboard, the score doesn't matter until we're taking our shoes off," she said. "And they've really bought into that, it has helped us in several games to have late comebacks and understand how to finish a game like we did the other night.
"We can hit her, we just need to pick better pitches ... and no infield pop-ups. That was huge in the sixth and seventh when we adjusted to her pitching the third time through the lineup."
In the sixth and seventh the Warriors had five hits scoring all six runs, the first two coming on a Pearson sac fly to center to score Smith and a Lillian Gray ground out to score Dawson in the sixth to keep the game within reach.
For those familiar with Ontario this season you might notice something missing — home runs. Were it not for the 15-plus feet fences at the William P. Coontz Recreation Complex field and Maumee southpaw Hannah Ruiz in the circle, the Warriors wouldn't have gone without one for the first time since May 7th.
"We tried to get the girls to buy in ... we love to hit a home run on an inside pitch," Burke said. "But with her as a lefty, we're going to see spin and low and outside — just like with Lex the other day — we bought into wanting to hit singles to the right side. So to see us do that, then put the ball up the middle, turn on a couple mistakes, put runners on, and score six runs without a long ball — that's awesome."
Dawson was 3-for-4 with two runs, Ireland was 2-for-3 with a run, Pearson 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Schuster struck out two, walked three, gave up nine hits, four runs, three earned in the win.
"To do it with this group of seniors ... they just care about everybody and it's contagious on our team," Burke said. "The excitement we have for every person and every at bat, you can't even really explain it. And it's my first time going to a regional as a coach — I got to go as a player — and we tried to tell the girls it's an experience and not everybody gets to have this feeling.
"To do it with such a special group is amazing."
After a two-hour drive to Oregon for the district championship, Ontario gets to stay a little closer to home for Wednesday's 5 p.m. regional semifinal. And the stands should be packed with the Warriors matching up with crosstown rival Madison after the Rams walloped Celina 10-2.
"Great team, great pitching," Burke said. "It's kind of cool that it's two Mansfield area teams, and playing at Ashland (University).
"A little bit less of a drive than what we had today, so we'll take it."
zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ontario softball rallies for first district championship since 2023
Read the full recap...
"I was really nervous," the Ontario junior said.
With no outs she proceeded to lay down as perfect a bunt as one could draw up to force Maumee into making a play that led to a throwing error and scored Brinlee Kreger. It sparked a four-run inning and the two-seeded Warriors' first district title since 2023 with a 6-4 win over No. 3 Maumee.
DIVISION IV: Clear Fork softball scores 16 in the first, wins first district title since 2017
"She has turned some things around for us this year," Ontario coach Jamee Burke said. "She's a phenomenal second baseman, I would take her over any person at second base. But then offensively she stepped up. She went 4-for-4 the other night, she had a couple base hits for us today and a beautiful bunt."
"Once I laid it down, I was nervous to run," Ireland added. "Then I was safe and I was really happy, all my teammates were cheering me on."
Her RBI bunt was followed by Saylor Smith's sacrifice fly to left field scoring Sophie Schuster and tie the game at four apiece. Ellie Dawson ripped a line drive to right field to score Ireland and Morgan Pearson added an insurance run belting one to left field to score Dawson and complete the comeback.
"It takes time for us to get used to a pitcher, but once we do the hits really string together well," Dawson said.
It was just a matter of time before the Warriors, who had scored 221 runs coming into Saturday's title game, got things going offensively. Through the first five innings they mustered just three hits and found themselves down 4-0 as the Panthers had an RBI single in the first, two-run home run in the second, and scored a fielding error in the third.
Still, Ontario never panicked.
"We've been through it a couple times where we've been down and gotten back up, the Lex game the other day we did that," Ireland said. "We just don't give up ... we like to keep pushing and we're having fun."
That mindset is something Burke has drilled into their heads.
"I really try to preach, especially on a field that we get to see all seven innings on the scoreboard, the score doesn't matter until we're taking our shoes off," she said. "And they've really bought into that, it has helped us in several games to have late comebacks and understand how to finish a game like we did the other night.
"We can hit her, we just need to pick better pitches ... and no infield pop-ups. That was huge in the sixth and seventh when we adjusted to her pitching the third time through the lineup."
In the sixth and seventh the Warriors had five hits scoring all six runs, the first two coming on a Pearson sac fly to center to score Smith and a Lillian Gray ground out to score Dawson in the sixth to keep the game within reach.
For those familiar with Ontario this season you might notice something missing — home runs. Were it not for the 15-plus feet fences at the William P. Coontz Recreation Complex field and Maumee southpaw Hannah Ruiz in the circle, the Warriors wouldn't have gone without one for the first time since May 7th.
"We tried to get the girls to buy in ... we love to hit a home run on an inside pitch," Burke said. "But with her as a lefty, we're going to see spin and low and outside — just like with Lex the other day — we bought into wanting to hit singles to the right side. So to see us do that, then put the ball up the middle, turn on a couple mistakes, put runners on, and score six runs without a long ball — that's awesome."
Dawson was 3-for-4 with two runs, Ireland was 2-for-3 with a run, Pearson 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Schuster struck out two, walked three, gave up nine hits, four runs, three earned in the win.
"To do it with this group of seniors ... they just care about everybody and it's contagious on our team," Burke said. "The excitement we have for every person and every at bat, you can't even really explain it. And it's my first time going to a regional as a coach — I got to go as a player — and we tried to tell the girls it's an experience and not everybody gets to have this feeling.
"To do it with such a special group is amazing."
After a two-hour drive to Oregon for the district championship, Ontario gets to stay a little closer to home for Wednesday's 5 p.m. regional semifinal. And the stands should be packed with the Warriors matching up with crosstown rival Madison after the Rams walloped Celina 10-2.
"Great team, great pitching," Burke said. "It's kind of cool that it's two Mansfield area teams, and playing at Ashland (University).
"A little bit less of a drive than what we had today, so we'll take it."
zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ontario softball rallies for first district championship since 2023
Read the full recap...