Anna Aey sends South Range to regional final with 2-run homer

The Raiders defeated Triway 4-3 in the regional final

CANTON, Ohio – It took one swing by Anna Aey on Wednesday to make her South Range softball teammates go crazy.

That swing came with two outs in the top of the seventh inning of the regional semifinals against Triway, with the game tied 2-2 and a runner on second after Jayli Wilt had doubled.

The lefty took her best swing and sent the ball sailing over the left field fence for a two-run homer to give the Raiders a 4-2 lead and eventually a 4-3 win.

“I had been struggling in my last two at-bats,” Aey said. “I stepped in and decided the pitch didn’t need to be pretty, I just essentially need to hack something. We're down and I need to get this run in.”

She didn’t even realize the ball had cleared the fence until she saw the faces of the Triway outfielders.

“I was rounding first, and I saw (coach) sending me and I hadn't I didn't know it was over,” Aey said. “I looked up and the right fielder was looking back, and she had her head down and I realized that it went over.”

After the freshman got back to the plate after her homer, her teammates mobbed her.

“They are crazy but I love them so much,” Aey said.

The job wasn’t complete, however.

Triway answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh and had a runner on second with one out, but senior pitcher Juli Stachowicz struck out the last two hitters to finish the game.

“My coach came out and was like ‘Juli, these hitters were yours last time, I want you to get them again,’” Stachowicz said. “My mentality was that I want to get them myself.”

Stachowicz finished the game allowing the two runs on five hits and struck out nine.

But she was in the dugout when Aey hit the homer, and it was special for her as well seeing as how it was family.

“My cousin is one that hit that home run, I am so proud of her,” Stachowicz said.