FAIRBORN — Courtnie Spain didn’t get a no-hitter against Xenia, but the Skyhawks did get some revenge.
Spain gave up a single hit, and Sophie Bolser’s sacrifice fly in the first inning was all Fairborn needed in a 1-0 victory over Xenia on Tuesday night in the “Strike Out Cancer” benefit game at Community Park East.
Spain (10-5) struck out 12 batters and walked just two in seven innings of work. She didn’t give up a hit until the seventh inning, when Xenia’s Tara McCann knocked a groundball single up the middle.
“Courtnie pitched a great game,” said Fairborn head coach Bob Shively. “She had good velocity and the defense played well behind her. We didn’t hit the ball well, but we did enough to win.”
The “Strike Out Cancer” game, which was played to raise money for the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research, featured Fairborn players wearing pink shirts with blue letters and numbering and Xenia players wearing blue shirts with pink numbering and lettering. Players wore pink shoelaces and played with pink softballs, and the lines on the field were done with pink chalk.
Xenia’s Michelle King pitched an incredibly strong game despite the loss, giving up six scattered hits, striking out two and walking just one.
“Honestly, our pitching has been strong. We got in some jams and our defense got us out of them tonight,” said Xenia head coach Greg Paxson. “You’re not going to beat anybody with one hit though.”
The win for Fairborn (17-7, 8-4 GWOC South) avenged a 2-0 loss to the Bucs (7-16, 1-5) on April 15.
Fairborn’s lone run Tuesday night came in the first inning, when freshman Jenifer Neel looped a single down the third base line. She made it to third base on a pair of wild pitches, and she was plated on a sacrifice fly to right field from Bolser.
Xenia’s best chance to tie came in a controversial sixth inning, when Jessica Conley walked. She stole second on a wild pitch, and looked to take third after a fielded grounder from Jennifer George. George was apparently thrown out at first, however, and Conley was thrown at out attempting to get to third.
Paxson said he saw it differently.
“I thought the tag at third was high, and the umpire said he didn’t see it that way,” Paxson said. “Neither umpire saw if Fairborn’s fielder took her foot off the bag at first base, and I thought both were safe.”
Fairborn’s Sarah Lilley had a pair of singles, Brittany Duncan had a double and Ambrosha Reeves, Jessie Little and Neel each had singles for the Hawks.
“We’re playing through injuries, and I don’t know if we’re pressing, but the girls need to relax and go back to how they were playing earlier in the season,” said Shively about the hitting. “They’re good hitters though, and they’re going to get their hits.”
