Saturday in the district final it was a stellar effort on the mound by sophomore Casey Yingst, clutch hits by Haley Adams and Aubrye Cain - and tonight it was the pitching of Chloe Shell, a complete defensive effort and a breakout fifth inning with big hits by Shell, Yingst, Adams, Jesse Shilt and Connor Schaeffer.

Each player contributing is what has carried the Covington Lady Buccs trough the tournament and all ten girls contributed once again on Wednesday in a 4-0 victory over Fort Loramie.

"We keep finding a way," said Covington coach Dean Denlinger. "Tonight was no different. A lot of times things didn't go our way, but the girls kept playing and good things started to happen."

Covington hit the ball hard and often, but for the first four innings the ball either landed just out of play or in the gloves of Fort Loramie defenders.

"It seemed like we couldn't catch a break," Denlinger explained. "We had a hit that bounced off the third baseman and right to their shortstop. We had two hits that landed just foul down the third base line. We hit the ball hard all night, but couldn't seem to get them to fall."

Not until the fifth inning did Covington's hits start finding the grass or the gaps in Fort Loramie's defense.

Chloe Shell led off the inning with a double and freshman Haley Adams drove her in for the first run of the game with a double to right-center.

With two outs, Jesse Shilt singled to put runners at the corners and stole second. Casey Yingst then stretched the count to 3-2 by fouling off several pitches and followed with double in the gap to score Adams and Shilt.

Connor Schaeffer capped the inning with an RBI single to score Yingst, who had stolen third.

Yingst led the way with a 4-for-4 night with two doubles, a stolen base and two RBI, while Cain was 2-for-4. Adams and Shell each doubled, while Shilt and Schaeffer singled.

"We hit the crap out of the ball," Denlinger said. "We had ten hits and it could have been more, but they (Fort Loramie) have a lot of speed out there on defense. They chased down a lot of balls."

Fort Loramie's speed was a concern for Covington, especially on the base paths. But Chloe Shell and the Covington defense did an outstanding job of keeping that speed in the dugout.

"They (Fort Loramie) have some very nice athletes and their speed was a concern," Denlinger explained. "But we played a very nice defensive game, which has been our strength all year. We were never out of position. We communicated and rotated very well."

And Chloe Shell threw very well, especially after the third inning.

"They were able to make pretty good contact on the ball in the first couple of innings, but once Chloe found her change-up, it was a different game," stated Denlinger. "She mixed it up really well, had them out on their front foot chasing the change-up and then blowing it by them with her fastball. Chloe threw very well."

Shell went the distance in recording the two-hitter, striking out ten and not allowing any walks.

"She needed a performance like that," Denlinger continued in his assessment of Shell. "I wasn't sure if she would be able to go the whole game, but she hit her spots and had command of her pitches."

Covington hasn't allowed a run and has given up just three hits in the last twelve innings of action, which can be attributed the outstanding pitching and defense.

"The deeper you get into the tournament the more it becomes about pitching and defense," said Denlinger. "We're playing pretty good right now, but we have to continue to take it one game at a time."

Next for Covington is the winner of tomorrow night's contest between unbeaten Felicity Franklin and Bluffton. The Lady Buccs will see the winner in the regional final at noon on Saturday in Tipp City.

SCORING BY INNINGS:
Covington ..................0..0..0..0..4..0..0 - 4 - 10 - 1
Fort Loramie ..............0..0..0..0..0..0..0 - 0 - 2 - 0