Seniors Blast Lady Leps into Record Books During Win Vs. Cats
Louisville 4, Canton South 0
The Seniors didn’t disappoint in their final high school softball game ever at the Field of Dreams Monday evening. Desi Givens cracked a pair of home runs and Amanda Dillon also hit a solo shot to give Louisville a 4-0 win over Canton South and the Division I State Home Run record.
Both pitchers still had no-hitters going into the bottom half of the third inning. However, Dillon, playing in her first varsity game all year, ruined Canton South pitcher Nadio Gaskins’ perfect game by pulverizing the ball over the left field fence to give Louisville a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth inning Givens hit a solo home run to right field. It was the second straight inning that the lead-off batter went yard for the Lady Leps and it gave them a 2-0 lead.
Givens wasn’t finished though. With one decisive swing she ejected the ball out of the Field of Dreams scoring both her and catcher Emily Isla. The home run was Givens’ tenth on the season, which ties her with Marlington’s Jessica Gorman (2010) for the most homers by an NBC player in a single season. Only East Canton’s Letitia Bittinger has hit more homers in a single season for a Stark County, she had 14 last year.
Givens’ blast also gave the Lady Leopards their 25th home run of the year, a Division I state record eclipsing Hudson’s 24 home runs in 2009. West Liberty-Salem holds the state record for all divisions with 31 in 2010. However, they set the mark in 31 games, while the Lady Leps have only competed in 26. Hudson’s previous Division I mark of 24 was set in 32 games two seasons ago.
On the mound, Brittany Flanigan pitched another gem. She struck out 11 Wildcats and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before a screaming line drive to left field broke it up. But that was the only hit South could manage and she finished the 2011 season by earning her 17th win.
The 2011 season was the Lady Leopards best season to date. Although they will be losing Seniors Amanda Dillon, Maggie Estock, Desi Givens, Ashley Horton, Katie Soliday, and Kyleigh Zwick to graduation, their core is still young and more great softball is in-store for Louisville in the immediate future.
BOX SCORE:
LEOPARDS 4, WILDCATS 0
Canton South 000 000 0 — 0 1 0
Louisville 001 102 0 — 4 5 2
Flanigan and Isla. Gaskins and Uminski. WP—Flanigan 17-2. LP—Gaskins. HRs—Louisville: Dillon (1), Givens 2 (10).
Records—Canton South 3-18, 3-10; Louisville 24-2, 13-1.
PICTURES:
