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Parkway's Emmery Temple is met by a crowd of teammates at home after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning of the Division IV district final at Wapakoneta on Thursday.
WAPAKONETA - For two innings, Parkway pitcher Meg Henkle couldn't find the zone and Minster was filling up the basepaths.
But the Wildcats couldn't capitalize and the Panthers seized control, taking the lead for good in the third on the way to a 6-2 win in the Division IV softball district final at Wapakoneta on Thursday.
For the first time since taking over for Mark Esselstein after 2019, Parkway coach Trey Stover takes his team to the regional semifinals, and the Panthers continue a bounceback season after falling below .500 last year for the first time since at least 1997.
"I'm just speechless right now," Stover said. "After the journey of the last couple years, all the adversity we faced, even with the adversity we faced in this game, the girls just kept battling through."
Parkway (19-5) will face the victor of today's game between South Charleston Southeastern and Russia in the regional semis on Wednesday at Northmont High School.
Minster, the No. 2 team in Division IV, bows out at 24-4.
"Didn't play like ourselves," Wildcats coach Robb Hemmelgarn said. "Bases loaded, first inning, one out; bases loaded, second inning, no outs - we didn't attack, and it defined the rest of the game."
Adria Miller's single scored Brittyn Bruns in the top of the first, and Rylin Trego scored from second in the bottom half on a wild pitch and a throwing error to tie the game. Henkle then gave up a single to Addi Inskeep and walked two batters to load the bases with one out, but she bore down and got Kaycie Albers and Emma Linn to look at strike three to keep the game tied.
"She's just a battler," Stover said. "Didn't have her best stuff at the beginning of the game, but she just kept fighting through."
In the second, Henkle hit two batters and issued a full-count walk to load the bases again with no outs.
Hemmelgarn chopped a grounder to third baseman Emmery Temple, who knocked the ball down and snatched it up in time to get the force-out at home. Catcher Meah Suzuki threw to first too late for a double play, but Paige Stephenson fired it back and Suzuki was able to tag out Reece Albers trying to score from second.
Minster second baseman Reece Albers makes a diving stop for the first out of the third inning.
Inskeep hit another grounder to Temple, and again Temple knocked it down and made the throw in time.
"Our plan was to play them in tight, and Emmery made a couple great plays at third," Stover said.
From there, the Panthers' bats took over. Henkle hit a two-out double down the left-field line in the third, Stephenson singled her in with a grounder up the middle, and Miller drove in Stephenson to make it 3-1.
In the fourth, Temple drove a two-run home run over the centerfield fence, and Madison Louth hit a two-out triple to chase Osterloh.
"I don't know, I think they made the adjustments and put the bat on the ball," Coach Hemmelgarn said of the big hits off Osterloh. "And we threw the ball around more than we have all year, and that's what happens."
Mikaela Hoskins cut the deficit to one in the third, reaching on an error and scoring on Kaycie Albers' double, but Albers ran through Coach Hemmelgarn's signal and was thrown out at third. The Wildcats put a runner in scoring position each of the last four innings, but couldn't add on.
Parkway added a run in the seventh when Hoskins caught a liner, tried for a double play at first and skipped the ball into foul territory, and right fielder Emma Linn sailed a throw to the plate as Stephenson scored from second.
After two walks with one out in the seventh, Hoskins hit a pop-up that was ruled an infield fly. Inskeep tried to advance, and Temple chased her down and applied the tag to end the game.
"Down 1-0, we tied it, and then they scored two that (third) inning and we were playing behind," Coach Hemmelgarn said. "Not used to that. Until the very last out, I still thought we had a chance, and the girls did too. I'm proud of them for not giving up."
