After several successful postseason runs, Portsmouth Notre Dame’s softball team finally reached the summit of Ohio high school sports, winning the state Division VII championship by defeating Monroeville 9-1 on Thursday, June 5 before 2,700 fans at Akron’s Firestone Stadium.
It was the first on-field state title for any Notre Dame team, boys or girls. The Titans’ 1967 and 1970 football teams finished first in Class A in coaches’ polls before the Ohio High School Athletic Association began football playoffs in 1972.
The OHSAA expanded playoffs in several sports from four divisions to seven for the 2024-25 school year, but Titans coach Shad Ford said the expansion wasn’t a factor in his team’s reaching the pinnacle.
“The schools we play every year, like us, were among the smallest of the small anyway, so the change didn’t affect us,” he said. “The big schools went up and we stayed down. We’ve been knocking at the door for a while and finally kicked it in.”
Notre Dame was making its first appearance in the state Final Four after back-to-back regional runner-up finishes. The Titans have won a record 11 Southeast District championships. They reached the title game by defeating Covington 9-2 on June 4 in Akron.
The team finished 28-3 overall, with the losses to Division IV state champion Springfield Kenton Ridge, Division IV runner-up Hillsboro in a rain-shortened game and Greenup County, Kentucky, in extra innings.
Most of the drama in the championship game took place in the first inning as Notre Dame scored five runs with the help of two of Monroeville’s five errors, then held the Eagles scoreless after they loaded the bases.
The Titans’ Maddie Entler opened the championship game with a triple, Alayla Soard walked and Kate Entler hit a shallow infield fly over the head of the Monroeville pitcher that the rest of the defense couldn’t get to. The throw to first went wide, allowing two runs to score.
The next batter, Maycee Ford, hit a fly ball to center that was misplayed, scoring Entler, and freshman Audrey Bach hit a two-run single with one out to make it 5-0 in an inning when Notre Dame sent all nine batters to the plate.
In the bottom of the first, Monroeville, last year’s Division IV runner-up, had batters on first and second with one out and loaded the bases after a strikeout. Titans pitcher Ava Rush got the Eagles’ sixth batter to ground out, ending the inning. Rush, a sophomore, limited Monroeville (27-4) to three hits the rest of the way and struck out nine batters for the second straight game.
Notre Dame added single runs in the second and fourth and two in the sixth. Kate Entler hit a solo homer in the fourth and drove in three runs.
“We came in with a fighter’s mentality and got the first punch in and they (Monroeville) helped us by throwing it around a little bit,” coach Ford said.
Seniors Maddie Entler, Tally Herrmann and Adyson Arnold finished their high school careers as recipients of OHSAA gold medals. Entler will be playing next year for the University of Charleston, West Virginia.
“Maddie was a great leadoff hitter and left fielder and controlled games all season by setting the tone,” coach Ford said. “Tally and Addie didn’t start but were great kids who did whatever they were asked. We couldn’t have been champions without them.”
Coming back next year for Notre Dame are Soard, Kate Entler, Maycee Ford and Lyndsay Schaefer – the second through fifth hitters in the championship game starting lineup.
“All four bonded as leaders and had a great season as their bond became closer. They’re anxious for next year because they want to keep it up,” the coach said.
Soard was the team’s leader on offense, batting .568 with 17 homers and 56 RBI. Maddie Entler batted .537 and sister Kate finished with nine home runs and 48 RBI.
“Being part of a Catholic school has meant a lot to them,” the coach added. “Father (Stephen) Smith (pastor of the St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic Consortium) blessed us just before we got on the bus to Akron, and we pray before every game as well as three times a day in school. I think this helps the girls put everything in perspective and has played a big role in our success through the years.”