The Red Chix had a plan for stopping the Extreme Elite in the 18-under championship game of the National Softball Association Youth Fastpitch World Series on Saturday – and the pitcher to do it.
Ashlea Nash threw a complete-game four-hitter as the Chix from Jonesboro, Ind., defeated the Collinsville, Ill., team 4-1 at the Summit of Softball. The champions got two runs in each of the first two innings.
The win stopped the Elite’s fight back to the championship. The two teams met in the winners-bracket semifinals Friday and the Red Chix won 5-2. The Elite came back and won two games Saturday morning – including one in which they rallied from two runs down in the seventh – to set up the championship showdown, but they couldn’t get into a groove against Nash.
She kept the ball away from the Elite, forcing nine flyouts, seven to the right side.
“When you’re pitching the ball there, they have no choice but to hit it away,” Red Chix coach Jim Winget said. “If they try to pull it, they’re going to pop up. We played them earlier and knew there weakness was the outside pitch. Ashlea is an awesome pitcher and she’s come a long ways. She throws hard, moves the ball around and has good control.
“She’s going to make a good college pitcher real soon.”
Nash is a rising senior at Mississinewa High School in Gas City, Ind.
The Red Chix got their two runs in the first when both Brooke Shell and Krosley Ogden scored on a throwing error off an Ogden bunt attempt. Bonnie Parker smashed a two-run home run to left field in the second inning.
Shell and Darcy Crabtree had two hits each to lead the Red Chix.
Extreme Elite got their run in the top of the second when Alexa Becker singled and later scored on a wild pitch.
“Every year, the biggest thing you have to have is fight,” Extreme Elite coach Brett Swip said. “Sometimes you need more fight than skill because it’s a mental grind and you must find a way. We couldn’t in the last game, but I couldn’t ask for anything more from the girls: They gave all that they had.”