by Frank Aceto
Associate Sports Editor
Akron -- They've gone where no 21st century Tallmadge softball player had gone before.
Unfortunately, such a fact means very little to the 2009 Lady Blue Devils.
Tallmadge saw its dream season come to an end when it lost a 2-0 decision to the Bellville Clear Fork Lady Colts in a Division II state semifinal contest June 5 at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
The Colts (29-5) wound up losing a 4-2 decision to Hamilton Ross in the state championship game June 6.
Once upon a time, the Lady Blue Devils knew all about winning state titles.
They have captured seven state crowns in their illustrious history.
But Tallmadge hasn't captured a championship since 1998.
The Lady Blue Devils (27-5) made it to the state semifinals in 1999 and recently reached their first regional championship game since 2006.
But No. 8 will have to wait another year, thanks to Bellville right-hander Rachel Wilson.
Despite a frightening incident in the top of the first, the standout hurler got the victory on the mound.
She retired the first 14 batters in order and allowed just a harmless bunt single by sophomore shortstop Brittany Lightel in the bottom of the fifth inning.
"She [Wilson] really kept us off balance and was able to hit her spots," Tallmadge head coach Ed Seeker said.
Wilson also had a hand in the scoring even though she paid a heavy price for it.
She reached on a bunt that led to a throwing error on the contest's very first pitch.
One pitch later, Wilson stole second as she slid head first into the base.
But Wilson did not get up.
She received some attention from the trainer and after a brief delay, decided to stay in the game.
Good move.
After a bunt single and a sacrifice, Wilson scored the first run when Lady Colts' second baseman Becca Mottayan, the cleanup hitter, hit a sharp grounder off the glove of Lady Blue Devils' senior right-hander Jen Cottrell.
The ball wound up landing in front of senior second baseman Katie Swejk, who gunned down Mottayan at first.
But Wilson, who was running on contact, touched home plate without a throw.
Designated player Shary Pullen followed with a run-scoring single to center field to make it 2-0.
That was all Wilson needed.
The standout hurler improved to 16-1 on the season and finished with five strikeouts.
Of the 21 outs she recorded, 12 of them took place in the air.
The hardest hit ball from Tallmadge came from its first batter of the game.
Swejk got the fans' attention when she ripped a bullet on a 2-0 pitch.
It appeared that Bellville center fielder Jessica Perkins got a bad jump on the ball, but she wound making the catch as her glove stretched as far as it could go.
"If she [Perkins] doesn't make that catch, Katie might have had an inside-the-park home run," Seeker said.
Cottrell (21-4), using her lethal change-up, was just as dominant as her counterpart.
But the first inning wound up costing her.
Cottrell, however, kept the Lady Blue Devils in the game. She did not allow a hit the rest of the way.
While the sky proved to be Wilson's best friend, the dirt was Cottrell's closest companion.
Sixteen Lady Colts grounded out against Tallmadge's top pitcher. In fact, Bellville's only two base runners the rest of the way reached on throwing errors.
"It just wasn't our day," Seeker said.
E-mail: faceto@recordpub.com
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