Fretz Tosses 1-Hitter; Wawasee Wins Regional Title
Fretz Tosses 1-Hitter; Wawasee Wins Regional Title
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Dale Hubler-dhubler@timesuniononline.com
Fretz Tosses 1-Hitter; Wawasee Wins Regional TitleFORT WAYNE – Things went really well Tuesday evening for Meghan Fretz and her Wawasee High School teammates.
Nearly perfect in fact.
In a Class 3A softball regional final at Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fretz – with a stingy defense behind her – tossed a complete-game 1-hitter as the fifth-ranked Lady Warriors beat the Cadets 5-0.
The win improved Wawasee’s record to 25-3 this season and gave the Lady Warriors their first regional title in program history.
Fretz, a Huntington University-bound senior, was four outs away from a perfect game when sophomore pinch hitter?Jenna Lawrence hit a bloop single into shallow right field.
“If Meghan keeps doing what she’s doing, it’s hard for an offense to get rolling,” said first-year Wawasee coach Mike Barger. “It’s hard to get rolling when you have Meghan dealing like that. That was probably her best game all year, I think, but the defense just made plays. I’d put the defense up against anyone the way we’re playing. They just get relaxed and make plays.”
Wawasee’s defensive effort included a diving catch in foul territory by senior Hannah Haines, as well as a pair of impressive snags by sophomore second baseman Kayla White.
“My defense is solid, they’re amazing,” Fretz said of her teammates in the field. “They’re the best defense I could ask for, being in high school. They’re just amazing.”
Fretz wasn’t bad herself, as she struck out seven and was in control of her pitch location the majority of the game.
“Honestly, all my pitches were working, I have no idea where it came from,” said Fretz, who admits she sometimes struggles with confidence in the circle, though it wasn’t evident Tuesday.
Offensively, Wawasee pounded out eight hits against Concordia junior Mariah Perez.
Perez pitched all seven innings, striking out four and walking two.
The two walks were to senior Ale Brito and White to start the game.
Brito scored what turned out to be the game-winning run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Fretz.
The Lady Warriors plated two more runs in the third inning, one in the fourth and one in the seventh.
Brito finished the game 2 for 3 at the plate and scored twice.
White was also 2 for 3, scored a run and had the game’s only extra-base hit with a double in the fifth inning.
“You can’t ask for much more than when the leadoff hitter gets on,” Barger said of Brito. “When the leadoff gets on, it’s like the engine is getting ready to go. If she continues to do what she does, getting on base, that’s what we’re looking for.”
Wawasee will play South Bend St. Joe at 1 p.m. in Saturday’s four-team semistate at Twin Lakes High School in Monticello.
St. Joe beat Northwestern 2-1 Tuesday night.
The first game at Twin Lakes Saturday is slated for 11 a.m. and will feature No. 7 Bellmont, led by freshman standout pitcher and University of Louisville commit Macy Montgomery, and No. 15 Kankakee Valley.
The semistate championship game is slated for Saturday at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the state finals on June 10 at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.
“We just made history,” Fretz said of winning the program’s first regional. “It’s crazy to even think about. It’s mind-boggling.”
