The Elyria SunDogs, who won the ASA state championship last month, added the NSA state title last weekend in Cincinnati.
They didn’t know it at the time, but the ’Dogs had all the runs they needed when they scored twice in the first inning of the championship game. They held on for a 2-1 win over the Ohio Stingrays.
Jaime Frindt of North Ridgeville led off with a double and, with one out, Elyria’s Tess Sito singled her home. Sito, who took second on the play, stole third and then scored on a grounder to short by the Pioneers’ Jen Bower. Sito slid home just ahead of the tag.
Sito had two of the SunDogs’ four hits. Frindt and Elyria’s Megan Bashak had the others.
The Pioneers’ Jessica Mandula made a great over-the-shoulder catch in short right field from her second base position to cut short a budding rally in the fifth inning. In the circle, Sito struck out seven and walked just one.
Bower, who batted .556 for the tournament, was the team’s leading hitter. Jillian Van Wagnen of Admiral King hit .500, the Pioneers’ Kristen Fyffe .429, Sito .400, Midview’s Erin Sunagel .333 and Jess Bellottie of Elyria .500.
Sito was 3-0 with 17 strikeouts and two walks, and Bashak picked up a win, striking out two.
The SunDogs were 4-0 for the weekend. It became a single-elimination tournament when rain washed out the Friday and Saturday schedules.

No Moore?

Dave Moore, who’s been coaching OGSO teams in South Amherst for 20 years, said this is his last season. His Class D (18-and-under) team plays at 1 p.m. today in an OGSO district final at LaGrange Community Park. South Amherst teams have won several state championships under his direction.
The Moores are a softball family. His wife Linda is OGSO’s Lorain-Medina secretary and his daughter, Susie, former star catcher at Firelands, is assistant softball coach at Bay. Dave Moore will continue as head softball coach at Lorain County Community College.

Weekend action

The fifth annual Nailbiter, which draws 60 teams to the Shady Drive complex in North Ridgeville, continues today and Sunday. Competition is in five age groups. Four of the teams are from out of state, two each from Pennsylvania and Michigan. The Nailbiter brings some 825 players, 180 coaches, 30 umpires, 600 parents and friends and a coterie of college scouts to Ridgeville every July.
And OGSO’s district tournament wraps up today with the Class D finals in LaGrange. Five district winners advance to the state tournament in Wellington, which opens with quarter- and semifinal games next Saturday and Sunday. Championship games are scheduled for July 26 at Wellington Community Park.
This year’s district has been colorful, as always. It has run smoothly under the direction of tournament manager Jim Piazza, the Keystone head coach, and only one coach has been tossed by an umpire.
The reason was tame enough, but worthy of ejection. A Class C coach held a conference in the circle and the discussion began to drag on. The plate umpire approached to get the game moving. The ump asked the coach if he was going to leave his pitcher in or make a change.
“I’d like to change the blue (umpire),” he replied.
He was invited to leave both the field and park. Had his team won, the coach would have faced a two-game suspension. It didn’t.

Fall already?

There’s a lot of summer left, but the Elyria Parks and Recreation Department is accepting applications for its fall softball season. City softball commissioner Garry Mason said men’s and co-ed leagues are scheduled to start play Sept. 2 — the day after Labor Day — and that’s just over seven weeks down the road.
Teams interested in playing can register at the department, 131 Court St., in Elyria. Applications are due at the office by Aug. 11, and that’s just over four weeks in the future. Men’s leagues will play Tuesday through Thursday and co-ed leagues on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the West Park softball complex.
The entry fee is $250 per team, plus a $20-per-team ASA sanction fee and a $10-per-person non-resident fee for players not living or working full time in Elyria. Teams will pay no more than $100 in non-resident fees. There is also a refundable $50 forfeit fee. Fees are due in the parks and rec office by 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 15.
Each team will pay umpires on the field prior to the start of each game.
There will be a mandatory organizational meeting for managers at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at the C.R. Hoagland West Recreation Center off Foster Avenue in West Park. For information, contact the parks and recreation office at 326-1500.

Half over

New Image Sports Bar and T&A Cabana (7-3) have tied for the Men’s Elite League first-half championship in the parks and rec department’s summer slowpitch program. Second-half play began this week.
Only one team — Dental Works of the Men’s South League — was undefeated over the 10-game schedule. There are eight leagues in the program.
Other first-half winners were Fit Technologies (7-3) of the Men’s East League; DearConsumer.com (9-1) of the Men’s West League, Harry Buffalo/Twist-N-Shake (9-1) of the Men’s North League, Rebman’s Recreation (9-1) in the Women’s League, Multi-Link (4-1) in the Co-Ed East League and, in the Co-Ed West League, Americut and At Least We Look Good tied with 4-1 records.

Elyria’s Sito, Keystone’s Dill
earn North Region honor

Two of Lorain County’s top softball players have been named to the U.S. North Region first team by Louisville Slugger and the National Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association.
Tess Sito, who pitched and batted Elyria to its third straight Division I state final, and Kara Dill, whose .600-plus batting average led Keystone to another Division II regional final, are also in the running for All-America honors.
Only one other Ohioan, an alternate shortstop from Tippecanoe High in Tipp City, was chosen for the first team. Coincidentally, both Dill and Sito are shortstops and pitchers. Dill was chosen as the first-team shortstop, Sito as a pitcher. Each regional team is made up of four pitchers, two catchers, seven position players and two alternates.
Sito and Dill will be seniors. They have been starters since their freshman seasons and each was a first-team All-Ohio selection this year. It was the third straight season Dill has been a first-team choice, the second in a row for Sito.
Sito has committed orally to play at Cleveland State. Dill is being recruited by several Division I universities. Elyria (28-2) and Keystone (26-5) were ranked No.1 statewide in their respective divisions this season.
The all-region teams are posted on the national coaches association Web site.
Contact Bob Daniels at 329-7135 or softball@bobdaniels.info.

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