DANVILLE — Winning 12 of their last 13 games, the Lady Blue Devils extended their postseason run with a 12-2 win over Ada on Thursday.
They will face Tri-Valley Patriots, a top-seeded team from the Western Ohio Athletic Conference, at noon on Saturday in Bellefontaine.
Blue Devils head coach Charlie Duncan was pleased with the performance of his club.
“Our girls played very well. Our fans were incredible. They all made the long trip and were supporting the girls from the very first pitch,” he said.
“Ada was a solid team coming in with some good momentum. We knew we needed to get out to a quick start. Dalayna Parker came up big with a 2-out, 2-run single to get us on the board in that first inning. That helped set the tone offensively.”
Danville’s pitchers have given up an average of 2.2 runs during their winning streak.
Thursday, the Blue Devils did it behind the pitching of Addy Bocock.
Bocock’s dominance continues
A pet peeve, according to the dictionary is “a minor, specific action or behavior that highly irritates or annoys a particular person, even if it doesn’t bother anyone else.”
If an announcer call the player stepping into the box “the next hitter,” a staunch baseball fan would say, “They are a batter. They are not a hitter until they hit the ball.”
Danville senior hurler Addyson Bocock has faced a lot of batters this season; not too many became hitters.
If the weather, rain delays, hot unforgiving weather and long bus rides have had a negative effect on Addyson Bocock, she has not shown it.
Bocock is breaking records and leaving ranked softball teams in her wake.
Just eight days ago, she tossed a complete game shutout, 3-0 over Cardington-Lincoln. Earlier this season, she tossed a perfect game.
“Defensively, Addy Bocock once again controlled the hitters most of the night. When they did put the ball in play the defense came up big behind them,” Duncan said.
“Ryleigh Geog made two big relay throws from left field that resulted in outs, and then made a huge play rotating in getting an out on a runner trying to advance to third on a bunt. I’m very proud of how they all played.”
A stellar rebuilding year
Duncan looks forward to his team’s next opponent, but he also looks back at a season that thus far has the Devils with a 22-5 overall record and a 13-1 Knox Morrow Athletic Conference record.
Danville shared the KMAC crown with the Centerburg Lady Trojans.
“We are very period of our girls. From day one, our team motto has been ‘Challenge Accepted,’” Duncan said.
Duncan knew 2026 would be a season of rebuilding, but he also had confidence in his younger players.
“We graduated a lot of seniors and knew we would have to rely heavily on underclassmen, including several freshmen,” he said. “That was a challenge they embraced all season long.”