For the second straight year, and third in the last five, Elyria, Keystone and Wellington are Sweet 16 softball teams. On Thursday, they will play regional semifinals in Divisions I, II and III, respectively, two wins away from the Final Four in Akron`s Firestone Stadium on June 4-6.
Wouldn`t you love to see them all play next week?
Impossible. All three play in semifinals at the same time, 5 p.m., on the same day, Thursday. If they all win, they play for trips to Akron at noon on Saturday. And all will be the visiting team through the regionals.
Top-ranked Elyria meets Brecksville in Clyde at 5 p.m. Thursday, with the winner facing either Oregon Clay or Sylvania Northview. In Bucyrus, second-ranked Keystone takes on Toledo Central Catholic, looking for a Saturday date with either Clear Fork or Lima Bath.
And Wellington goes to Genshaft Park in Massillon, where it will play  Youngstown Ursuline, which beat Warren Champion on Friday for the Lisbon district crown. Elyria, Keystone and Wellington also advanced to regionals in 2005.
The county has had two teams in state championship games two of the last three years. No better time than now to make it three teams in the finals. And it`s time for at least one of them to bring home the Big One.

Freshmen step up

Elyria fans fretted when the Pioneers lost six letterwinners from its 2008 state runners-up. But five freshmen were ready to join the varsity and they`ve been a big help, according to junior third baseman Ashlee Stolarski. She said the team was down after its heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the 2008 state championship game.
“But the freshmen came in and helped us so much,” she said. “To be going back (to a regional tournament) with so many young ones on our team is amazing. They`re such a huge part of this. We were very down and didn`t know if we`d be back. But they gave us life and they`re pushing us just as much as we`re pushing them.”

A lot like Lacey

Olivia Sliman, Amherst`s senior shortstop, made two acrobatic plays against Lakewood on Tuesday. One was a diving stop of a ball hit toward center field. The other was an off-balance throw from the hole between short and third that was the softball equivalent of a fadeaway jumper.
Sliman reminded some spectators of former Comets star shortstop Lacey Reichert, now an assistant to coach Bill Matthews.
“She is good,” Reichert said. “We obviously missed her last year and she just makes a world of difference out there. She`s been a pleasant surprise this year.”
Sliman, by her own choice, decided not to play last year.
“In my 25 years here, she is the girl who has played with the most confidence of any player I ever coached,” Matthews said.
Incidentally, the Comets` Tuesday victory was the 412th of Matthews` career. That`s an average of more than 16 wins a year.

Diamond`s a gem

Rich Webb continues to do great things with the varsity softball diamond at North Ridgeville.
It`s in a picturesque, woodsy setting for starters. But Webb has improved it. He has the outfield manicured and the infield flawless. He added an outfield warning track of crushed brick last fall and for the district tournaments this year, created a fenced area behind the backstop for tournament officials and media. He`s basically a one-man ground crew.
“I`m pretty much it,” he said. “I`ve been doing this for 12 years and I`ve spent a lot of time out here.”
His dedication and hard work are obvious.

Cardinals milestone

While Brookside`s tournament run came to an abrupt halt Thursday, coach Bob Eis and his players made news when they won the school`s first softball sectional title in 15 years. It happened with a 2-0 victory over Avon, then 17-4, on May 15.
“I`m just so proud of them,” Eis said. “I knew they could do it. They just needed to know themselves that they could do it. I`m glad our kids get to experience this, because it`s just huge for our school and the community. It`s history, but I`m not satisfied. I want to keep on going.”
Contact Daniels at 329-7135 or softball@bobdaniels.info.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Tess Sito, Elyria

YEAR: Senior
POSITION: Pitcher
LAST WEEK: Had a career in three tournament games. Pitched two no-hitters – against Amherst in district final and Admiral King in sectional final – and a one-hitter against Midview; allowed no runs, struck out 42 of the 61 batters she faced and walked only two. Sito went 5-for-9 at the plate, including a double and a fence-clearing home run in the district final, scored five times and stole two bases.
BIO: Batting .505 after 28 games, with eight doubles, five triples, five home runs and 18 RBIs as the Pioneers` leadoff batter. She`s 22-3 as a pitcher with 292 strikeouts in 160 innings. Her 0.22 ERA is the area`s best. Sito was called Ohio`s best pitcher by ESPN RISE magazine last month and was Gatorade`s Ohio player of the year in 2008. Has earned first-team All-Ohio and second-team All-American honors. She`s a member of the basketball team and formerly played volleyball. An excellent student.
LOOKING AHEAD: Will attend Cleveland State University on a softball scholarship.

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