ASHLAND — Elyria’s softball team has accomplished in its last two games something it couldn’t do in state championship games the last two years.
The Pioneers, having shut out defending state champion Hudson on Wednesday, shut out 2006 state champ North Canton Hoover, 2-0, on Thursday. It was the first loss of the season for Hoover (8-1), the state’s top-ranked team in Division I.
It was the marquee game of the 15th annual Wendy’s Spring Classic, which the two old rivals kicked off on the upgraded main diamond at scenic Brookside Park. It featured two teams ranked in the top 50 nationally — Elyria 30th, Hoover 38th — in at least one preseason poll.
With the victory, the fourth-ranked (in Ohio) Pioneers improved to 6-0 behind a two-hit, 12-strikeout gem by their steadily improving junior right-hander, Tess Sito.
Sito outdueled Hoover senior Jessica Simpson, who shut out Elyria 2-0 in the 2006 state final. Simpson also hurled a two-hitter, but the Vikings committed three errors behind her.
The bulk of Elyria’s pitching responsibility has fallen to Sito since senior southpaw Megan Bashak broke two fingers on her pitching hand during a routine defensive drill nearly two weeks ago.
“(Sito) is mentally tough,” said coach Ken Fenik. “You know, people questioned when we lost Megan with the injury if we’d be OK. Obviously Megan’s a big loss, batting-wise and pitching, both. But Tess is picking up the slack. She’s come through on back-to-back days and we face another tough team (today). We’ll see what she has in her.”
A factor was the Pioneers got their bunts down against Simpson and Hoover. Their unearned runs were scored by Sarah Bracey, who reached on an error in the second inning, and Sito, who hit a single to center in the fourth. Both moved up on sacrifice bunts, the first by Jess Bellottie, the second by Bracey, batting cleanup behind Sito.
As expected, the game was a thriller.
Pulses quickened among Pioneers fans when the Vikings, trailing 2-0, put runners at second and third with one out in the sixth. But Sito bore down and nailed the next two batters — Megan Lilley and cleanup hitter Alex Marcantonio — on swinging strikeouts.
“I was thinking I need an out right away, no matter if it’s the lead runner or just an out,” Sito said. “We need an out. I was thinking, ‘I can do this.’ I’ve been in situations like that before and I just had to keep confident and think about the batter, not the runners. Just the batter and get an out.”
The strikeouts that followed were Sito’s ninth and 10th of the afternoon. With a runner at first and one out in the seventh, she also got the next two batters to strike out swinging, ending the game.
“There was a little bit of adrenaline running when they got those two girls on base in the sixth, but adrenaline’s always good,” said Jen Bower, the Pioneers’ senior catcher. “If you don’t have it, you have to wonder why you don’t. Tess’s riseball was really working today. She’s a great pitcher and she’s come a long way.”
The Pioneers got the only run they needed in the second inning.
The junior Bracey led off the inning and reached on an error, moved to second on Bellottie’s sacrifice and to third when Kristen Fyffe grounded back to Simpson.
Then Ashlee Stolarski hit a little popup to the left side, the Vikings infield again misplayed the ball and Bracey sprinted home for a 1-0 Elyria lead.
“When I was on third (Fenik) said, ‘There’s two outs, you go on anything,’” said Bracey. “I mean, you like know that, but just to hear it, it’s like, ‘Oh, boy, I have to score.’ It just runs through your head like, ‘If it’s anywhere, I gotta go.’ You can’t stutter and you can’t second-guess yourself. You just have to run.”
Which is what Bracey did. Sito scored similarly in the fourth, after she singled to center and Bracey moved her over with a bunt. Bellottie followed with a sharp grounder to the left side, which the Vikings’ infield threw away, and Sito ran home from second base.
“The girls are playing great and they’re having fun,” Fenik said. “Bower does a great job of catching Tess’s riseball. She’s been our mainstay for four years and I guess I’m just blessed with some good people. They’re coming together and the young defensive people are making plays.”
The Pioneers meet Lake Park, Ill., at 4:15 p.m. today at Brookside West diamond No. 1. The game does not count in pool-play standings. They wrap up the tournament with two games on Saturday against Avon, Ind., at 12:45 p.m. and Bartlett, Ill., at 4:30. Those games are also at Brookside West No. 1.
The Wendy’s Classic, widely regarded as one of the premier regular-season tournaments east of the Mississippi River, includes 25 teams from seven states.

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