WELLINGTON - Keystone`s Kara Dill allowed just one hit in three innings, Wellington`s Cassie Gleisner only two hits in seven.
Hard to figure, perhaps, how Division III Wellington could pound the Wildcats, Division II`s top-ranked team, 7-0, in a big Patriot Athletic Conference softball rematch.
If you saw it, it`s not hard to figure at all. The Dukes` Melissa Rennie launched a three-run, fence-clearing home run off Dill in the third inning of their Monday afternoon showdown.
It was the only hit Dill allowed, but it gave ninth-ranked Wellington a 4-0 lead. From there, the Dukes coasted to their 16th victory in 21 games.
They improved to 7-2 in the PAC, a game behind Keystone. The Wildcats went home 20-3, 8-1 in the PAC.
It marked the second time in less than three weeks Wellington has knocked off a team ranked No. 1 in the state. The Dukes dumped Elyria, the top-ranked team in Division I, in the annual Elyria Spring Classic. Keystone has been the No. 1 team in Division II all season.
The big win also avenged two earlier losses to Keystone. The Wildcats nipped Wellington 1-0 in their first PAC meeting on April 17. They came back to defeat the Dukes, 6-4, in the championship game of the Elyria invitational on April 25.
The Dukes` Gleisner was basically untouchable after she wiggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out headache in the second inning. She went on to retire 11 batters in a row, 17 of the last 18 and struck out the last four batters she faced. Gleisner, a senior, will attend the University of Akron on a softball scholarship.
“It was my defense,” Gleisner said. “I wasn`t nervous at all. I can depend on my defense, that`s for sure. It was good to come out and show what I can do. This has always been a deep-down rivalry between us (Wellington and Keystone), and it feels good to come out and beat them.”
About the defense: Jackie Bankston, the Dukes` left fielder, made the play of the game when she robbed Kim Kokoski of an extra-base hit with one out in the fourth. Kokoski hit a screamer down the line and Bankston, running to her right, made a spectacular diving catch, holding the ball aloft in her glove as she slid into foul ground.
“I was just bustin` butt to get over there,” said Bankston, a junior. “I figured I`d try and go for it and I got it. It didn`t save the game, but it definitely helped with the momentum. Everyone got pumped up.”
Wellington`s Megan Auble and Shannon Swope broke a scoreless tie in the third after Auble led off with a walk. Swope, running for Auble, was sacrificed to second by Holly Storrow and moved to third when Morgan Brasee grounded out to the right side. Swope scored when leadoff batter Brooke Lewis reached on an error.
Swope advanced when Gleisner struck out, but reached on a strike-three error. That sent Rennie to the plate. Rennie worked the count to 3-and-2 and, on the ninth pitch from Dill, homered over the fence in left-center field for a 4-0 Wellington lead.
“Kara Dill is a very good pitcher,” Rennie said. “She`s got a lot of speed, and once she brings the ball, it`s hard to get your hands out in front. But I kept battling off pitches and I was definitely starting to feel confident. She gave me a pitch a little bit up in the zone and I just went with it.”
After Brooke Lewis scored on Gleisner`s double to left in the fifth inning, Gleisner also scored when Rennie followed with an RBI double to the gap in left-center. Courtney Echstenkamper scored the Dukes` seventh run in the sixth when, with the bases loaded, Gleisner walked, sending her home. Rennie was the only player on either team with two hits.
“We`ve had our problems with Keystone over the years, so it`s kind of nice to win one,” Dukes coach Tom Roth said. “The kids played well. They made nice contact with the ball. They put the ball in play, played well on defense and Cassie pitched a great game. If we can stay that way, we should be in good shape for the tournaments.”
Keystone coach Jim Piazza was philosophical.
“Some days you have it, some days you don`t,” he said. “Today, they had it and we didn`t. This wasn`t something that we didn`t do. It was what they (Dukes) did. We don`t want to lose at all, but I`d rather lose now than a couple of weeks from now.”
Contact Bob Daniels at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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