Gabby Gradishar strikes out 16 and Addie Warzala provides the offense as Champion defeats Keystone in regional semifinals

The Golden Flashes won 1-0 to advance to Friday's regional final

CANTON, Ohio – Champion softball's sophomore battery provided the spark and powered the Golden Flashes to a 1-0 win over Keystone in the OHSAA Division II regional semifinals at Willig Field on Wednesday afternoon.

Pitcher Gabby Gradishar went the distance, allowing just three hits and struck out 16 hitters, with at least two in each inning.

“Gabby Gradishar, she's just amazing and she was really pumped up for this,” Champion head coach Cheryl Weaver said. “You can see she had to pop on that ball, and she was hitting her spots.”

It was Gradishar’s battery mate – catcher Addie Warzala – provided the only run her best friend needed on this day with a solo homer to lead off the top of the second inning.

“That inside pitch, that's my favorite so I took it and I drove it,” Warzala said.

Warzala had been down on herself coming into the game because of what she termed “a little bit of a slump,” but her coach thinks this will propel her going forward as the Golden Flashes will play in the regional final on Friday against either Triway or South Range as she also had a double in the game.

“Addie was down on herself the other day,” Weaver said. “For her to come back with that, this is ideal because now she's going to be up for the next game instead of feeling down.”

Keystone had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth with its best offensive showing of the game.

Charlee Hudak led off with a single and stole second base and then Jalyn Owens got an infield single with two outs that moved Hudak to third. But Gradishar battled Hannah Gurich for 10 pitches, eventually getting the inning-ending strikeout on a 3-2 screwball.

“I just knew that my defense was behind me, and I can throw it over the plate and know that they are behind me,” Gradishar said.

After the pitch, the sophomore hurler let out all of the emotions of a stressful game as she ran out of the circle.

“Any pitcher on any team would have got really excited,” Weaver said. “When you're in a one-run ballgame anything could happen.”

It was just another great start in a fantastic season for Gradishar, which included a perfect game in the district semifinals and a one-hitter in the district finals. And her catcher loves being the one behind the plate for it.

“Oh, it makes it amazing, I've been catching her for years,” Warzala said. “She's my absolute best friend and to see her have so much success this year, I'm just so happy for her.”

The feeling of happiness went both ways, especially on this day when it was Warzala who gave Gradishar all the run support she needed.

“(It was) just amazing,” Gradishar said of watching Warzala’s home run. “I am just so happy for her.”