by Frank Aceto
Associate Sports Editor
Hudson -- Forgive Callie Drohan for being in a sour mood May 7.
After the game, her smile couldn't have been wider.
Thanks to Drohan's clutch two-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning, the host Hudson softball team salvaged a split with Northeast Ohio Conference River Division rival Cuyahoga Falls after posting a 7-4 win May 7. Drohan's single gave the Lady Explorers (10-8) a 6-4 advantage.
The Lady Black Tigers won a 1-0 decision May 6 at Harrington Field. Lynn Repasky's walk-off run-scoring single in the bottom of the seventh clinched the win.
In the second game, Drohan's grounder off right-hander Amber Myers went through the middle of the diamond and reached the grass in center field. She added a stolen base and eventually scored the final run of the game on a single by Alyssa Brown.
"I was really mad," Drohan said of the 1-0 loss. "I was thinking about it all day."
When Drohan hit the single, her teammates stormed the field to congratulate her.
But there was one problem: The game wasn't over.
The scoreboard incorrectly indicated that the sixth inning was actually the seventh. The Lady Explorers, however, appeared to think the game was over.
"Apparently they did," said Hudson head coach Frank Caraballo.
When the pandemonium stopped, the Lady Explorers continued their offensive heroics and then left-hander Mindy Meredith (8-6) finished the deal in the seventh.
"They battled the whole way," Caraballo said. "This was a team win."
Falls (14-4) probably will be thinking about the Lady Explorers' win for at least a few days. In a bizarre contest that also featured wet weather, strong winds and some bumps and bruises, Hudson survived.
Since the two teams got a split, the race for the first-ever River Division title is as sketchy as ever. Four teams, Hudson, Falls, Stow-Munroe Falls and North Royalton were in a tie for first place with 4-2 records in the division as of press time.
And Falls and Hudson may meet again in the future.
The Lady Black Tigers, who earned the top seed in an Akron Division I district tournament, is scheduled to host either Hudson or Akron Kenmore in a sectional championship game. May 13 at 4:30 p.m. The Lady Explorers are set to entertain Kenmore May 12 at 4:30 p.m.
The Lady Explorers earned a 5-3 win over Falls in a district semifinal contest last season.
In round two of this year's showdown, neither starting pitcher had her best stuff. Meredith went the distance on the mound to pick up the win, but she allowed 10 hits, including a solo home run by catcher Kelly Hessler in the first inning. Meredith allowed all four runs to score in the first three innings.
Myers (14-4) also went the distance and struck out five, but she allowed four runs in the first two frames.
The contest featured a steady drizzle that got heavier later in the game. And two starters took one for the team in the worst way.
Hudson's Emily Maggio got hit by a pitch and needed some assistance from the trainer as did Hessler, who wound up getting tagged by a Myers' fastball when a time-out was called.
Unfortunately, Myers was already in her motion when time was called and she drilled Hessler in the shoulder. Both players, however, stayed in the game.
After Hessler's home run in the first, Brown tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the first. Brown had three hits and drove in two runs.
Gracie Doman's solo shot and Hannah Price's two-run single gave the Lady Explorers a 4-1 lead in the second.
But Falls stormed back.
Hessler, who had three hits and a walk, had a run-scoring single and Clare McKee tied the game with a two-run single in the third. Hessler was a triple away from the cycle.
Meredith finished with 11 strikeouts and Myers, who smacked three hits a the plate, had six strikeouts. Meredith punched out 14 Falls' batters in the first game. Myers, who won the first game with seven strong innings, had five strikeouts.
Drohan had two singles in the May 5 loss. Bartos added a triple. Falls' only other hit in that game was a double by Hessler.
Hudson was scheduled to visit River Division foe Solon May 8. Results were not available at press time.
The Lady Explorers are set to host Solon May 14 at 4:30 p.m.
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