Friday, May 11, 2001
Softball tournament highlights
Morrison leads Ursuline to title
By Dave Schutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Ursuline softball team continues to belie its youth.
Ursuline's Amanda Beyrer jumps over Oak Hills' Jennifer Tarplee at third base.
(Brandi Stafford photos)
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After struggling to a 4-8 record to start the season, the Lions improved to 14-9 with a 1-0 victory over Oak Hills Thursday in the Division I sectional championship game at Rumpke Park.
Sophomore Ashley Morrison went the distance, scattering two hits to improve to 8-3. The victory advances Ursuline to the district championship game next week against Lakota West.
“We are a young team with no seniors,” first-year Ursuline coach Cathy Glassmeyer said. “It took the first 12 games to settle down. I knew the talent was there and it was a matter of us coming together either this year or next.”
Morrison was in command from the outset. She allowed a bunt single in the first inning and a bloop single behind first base in the seventh.
Ashley Morrison
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In between, only one Oak Hills runner reached base, on an error. Morrison struck out seven.
“Ashley's strength is working the corners,” Glassmeyer said. “I give a lot of credit to (catcher) Amanda (Beyrer), who called the game.”
An ankle sprain kept Morrison out of the starting lineup the first two weeks of the season, and a finger injury at midseason sidelined the right-hander for a week.
The turning point for Morrison was two weeks ago when she registered no-hitters in the same week in victories over Mount Notre Dame and Mercy.
On Thursday, Ursuline's run came in the third inning when Megan Shuba led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice by Jill Mueller, moved to third on a single by Kara Lorenz and scored on Beyrer's double.
Other sectional finals
• Lakota West 3, Centerville 2, Division I at JFK Park — Sophomore Andrea McGlothin drilled a single in the bottom of the 11th to score Allison Cook as the Firebirds knocked off the No.1 seed.
• McAuley 1, Loveland 0, Division I at Rumpke — Junior Amy Sunderman collected three of McAuley's four hits and drove in Jill Miller with two outs in the bottom of the sixth for the only run.
• Fayetteville 2, New Miami 0, Division IV at Rumpke Park — Junior Danielle Holden struck out 16 and improved to 18-0.
• Middletown Fenwick 5, Cincinnati Country Day 1, Division IV at Rumpke Park — Fenwick scored all five in the second inning.
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Softball tournament highlights
