Granville softball accepts challenge, excels against Cardington

On Mar 29, 2023

GRANVILLE — It was a battle between two of the top junior softball pitchers in central Ohio, but Granville’s Ally Ernsberger knew Tuesday’s season opener was not just her against Cardington star Genevieve Longsdorf.

Ernsberger did plenty from the circle and at the plate. She, however, also had plenty of help, too, as the host Blue Aces broke open a pitcher’s duel to earn an 11-4 victory.

“It’s very exciting to see how I can do against another good pitcher,” Ernsberger said. “I know my team always has my back, so I can see how far I can push myself.”

Ernsberger struck out 13 and allowed just one earned run. She also opened the scoring with a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, and her teammates followed suit as sophomore Megan Lodge and senior Morgan Layne later hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth.

Five Granville hitters had multiple hits. Four of those players scored multiple runs, and three had multiple RBIs.

“It feels really great. We are learning to limit those little errors, those little mental things, and we really have a strong lineup all the way one through nine,” said Layne, who started Tuesday in center field after starting at shortstop last season.

“I have a lot of confidence in every girl all through the lineup,” Layne added. “Everyone is very humble and just focuses on seeing the ball. That’s what’s most important.”

While Granville, which graduated no seniors, has high hopes of competing for Licking County League-Buckeye Division and Division II district championships, it’s unfamiliar territory for Cardington.

The Pirates started five freshmen after graduating a senior class that capped off a prolific run with the program’s fourth Division III regional championship in five tournaments last spring. Longsdorf, who hit a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning, and sophomore Ari Simpson are the Pirates’ only returning starters.

“We are going to go through some growing pains, and we knew that,” Cardington coach Tod Brininger said. “Our schedule is for a Final Four team we had last year. I am OK with that as long as we continue to battle and continue to grow. We will be better at the end of the season than we are right now.”

Longsdorf stranded two runners in each of the first two innings with freshman shortstop Ava Davis making a throw from the hole to retire Lodge in a bang-bang play to end the second. Granville finally broke through against the tall right-hander the third time through the order.

Lodge doubled to left-center, and Layne followed with an RBI single to an identical spot. Junior Taylor Warehime pulled a double down the third-base line to increase Granville’s lead to 3-0, and the Blue Aces added two more to take a 5-0 lead to the sixth.

“It gives us a lot of confidence, knowing we have gotten better from last year,” Ernsberger said. “Not having any seniors, we all had to step up and be leaders, so we have all taken our own time to prepare for these better pitchers.”

An error allowed Cardington freshman Madison Dornon to reach in front of Longsdorf, who homered to right-center. Two more errors helped freshman Kayden Burchett score a third run for the Pirates.

Granville, however, halted the momentum against Simpson, who had relieved Longsdorf in the fifth. Freshman catcher Avary King hit her second double to lead off the sixth, and Lodge and Layne followed with their home runs to begin what became a six-run outburst.

“We knew in our scrimmages and our first couple games we are going to face some top-tier pitching, so we asked the girls to stay focused, be aggressive and go after the pitchers,” Granville coach Brooke Warehime. “It was good to see them rebound and not shut down. Early in the season, you see teams get intimidated and get really tight.”

Layne and Taylor Warehime had three hits apiece and Lodge and Ernsberger two apiece. Following Granville’s rough defensive top of the sixth and again after her home run in the bottom, Layne stopped to give a pep talk to a struggling freshman.

“I remember being the freshman on varsity and always being so scared to be out on the field,” said Layne, who is joined in the senior class by Rowan Jordan and Erin Chaffee. “Knowing one of the upperclassmen has your back and she’s saying it’s OK, to me, that’s just the best feeling.”

Cardington’s freshmen will have better days, too. The Pirates’ sixth-inning rally threatened the Blue Aces and was a sign of their competitive spirit.

“Our two returning starters aren’t used to losing,” Brininger said. “It’s good they are going to keep battling, keep fighting.”

Cardington begins Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play the next two days with a home-and-home against Fredericktown, the Central District’s other reigning Division III champion.

Granville will jump right into the fire, too. The Blue Aces visit Johnstown on Thursday to begin LCL play.

“These girls respond very well to each other,” Brooke Warehime said. “We have three amazing seniors, who really want to take that banner of being leaders….