LAGRANGE — Dave Moore, the dean of Lorain County OGSO coaches, called it a career Tuesday night. In one of four Class D district finals, Moore’s South Amherst Bullets dropped a 12-10 decision to Medina, but he hangs up the clipboard with five state championships in 19 seasons.
In other games, Oberlin won its fourth straight Class D championship and Midview mercy-ruled Wellington as the Lorain-Medina district tournament for players 18-and-under nearly came to an end at Community Park.
Nearly, but not quite.
There was to have been a fourth Class D district champ when the Lorain Xplosion took the field against Litchfield. But after 17 innings in the longest Class D title game in recent memory, the game was suspended with a bright, nearly full moon rising in the southeast.
The game is to resume at 6 p.m. today with Litchfield going to bat in the top of the 18th inning. District titles in Class C (14-and-under), Class B (12-under) and Class A (10-under) were decided late last week.
Oberlin coach Rick Twining’s Ohio Action Images, two-time defending state champions, turned in an 8-2 victory over Amherst as Kayla Jackson went 3-for-3 and hit a sacrifice fly.
“We played them twice during the season, so you get kind of used to it,” Jackson said of Amherst pitching. “This is really important to me because of my age.” Jackson, who played for last year’s state champs, will be an Oberlin High freshman next month.
Nicole Isabell and Amari Foster each doubled for Oberlin. Amherst got a triple from Stacy Reid and a double by Lauren Dadas.
“We’d like to keep it going,” said Twining, whose Images open their run for a third straight state title in the OGSO quarterfinals at Wellington Community Park on Saturday. Their opponent won’t be known until sometime after the Lorain-Litchfield final is decided.
“We’re hitting pretty well 1 through 9,” Twining said. “We’ll be OK if we can stay strong and swing at our pitches. We get in trouble when we start swinging at their pitches and pass on the pitches we should hit.”
Brittany Stone pitched a nine-strikeout one-hitter in Midview North’s 11-1, five-inning victory over Wellington. She walked none. Stone also drilled a double and triple, Shelby Tanner hit a single and double and Sarah Baker launched a triple for Midview. Wellington pitcher Olivia Wulfhoop struck out six and Holly Storrow hit a double.
Moore’s South Amherst team led Medina 10-8, but Medina scored four times in the sixth inning and held on for the victory. The loss wasted a four-hit outburst by the Bullets’ Emily Arlington. Erin Phillips contributed two singles and a double, Kelsey Peterson two singles, pitcher Megan Woodrum a single and double and a double apiece by Stephanie Wargo and Samantha Miller.
It was a touching moment for Moore, whose contributions to OGSO and softball were recognized by tournament director Jim Piazza during the trophy-medals presentation.
“This wasn’t hard until he said that,” Moore said of Piazza’s postgame remarks. “It’s kind of a strange feeling, but this is definitely the last one. It’s nice to look around and see that these are competitive games. One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed over the years is that it has become more and more competitive.”
Moore started coaching OGSO teams when his daughter Susie, a former star catcher at Firelands, was a second-grader in 1990. He won his first state championship in 2000 on former Falcons star Callie Stanley’s perfect game. And his teams won four straight state titles starting in 2002. The Bullets were runners-up in 2006.
Moore will continue as head coach at Lorain County Community College, where softball became a varsity sport this year.
In the Lorain-Litchfield marathon, the Xplosion loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning but couldn’t score. When the game was suspended, Xplosion pitcher Nicole Myers had posted 14 strikeouts. Litchfield hurler Danielle Sims had struck out five.
OGSO state quarterfinals are scheduled for Saturday, the semifinals Sunday and the championship and consolation games for July 26, all at Wellington Community Park.
Contact Bob Daniels at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

Tuesday’s results
Class D district finals
Oberlin Action Images 8, Amherst 2
Midview 11, Wellington 1 (5 innings)
Medina 12, South Amherst Bullets 1
Lorain Xplosion 2, Litchfield 2 (suspended, darkness, 17 innings)
 

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