The Shelbyville cruise through the Okaw Summer Softball season continued on Tuesday night as the undefeated #1 seed beat Okaw Valley in 4 1/2 innings in the tourney semifinal, 11-1.

Shelbyville’s ace, Turaisa Welton, continued her dominance of opposing hitters, striking out 11 in just five inning pitched. She allowed just one hit, one walk and three base runners total, one on an error. Welton also rang up her 100th strikeout of the summer during the fourth inning. Her total stood at 104 as she headed into the championship game on Wednesday.

While Welton held Okaw Valley hitters in check, the Shelbyville hitters rattled the bats. They had only four clean hits, but one was a double and one a triple. They also put the ball in play and reached on six errors, in addition to drawing five walks. Shelby had 17 base runners to Okaw’s three.

Shelbyville brought nine batters to the plate in the first and eleven in the second, giving them a commanding 9-0 lead. From then on Okaw’s pitching and fielding improved, only allowing two runs in three innings. But when the plug was pulled early due to the 10-run rule, Okaw never had a chance to mount a late comeback.

Sarah Burch got the only Okaw hit to lead off the game. Welton then rang up the next two batters and Casey Wheeler threw out the following batter from shortstop to first.

Welton led off the Shelby first with a fly to right that was misplayed. Wheeler also reached on an error. After Okaw starter Mallory Robinson threw a strikeout, Rachael Gouchenouer smacked a single and Hope Robertson reached on another error.

Robinson rang up another Shelby hitter, but then walked two in a row. With the bases loaded and three runs in, Robinson limited the damage by ringing up the next batter to end the inning.

Sarah Henderson led off the Okaw second, reaching on an error and stealing second. Okaw had hopes of starting something, but the next batter hit a 3-unassisted ground out to Shelby Fultz and the next two batters were KO’d by Welton.

Shelby’s big inning was the second. Welton led off a double and Wheeler reached on another error and stole second and third. Sara Reber reached on an error and Wheeler scored, 5-0. Gouchenouer reached on an error and Hope Robertson grounded out short to first, but drove Reber home, 6-0.

Tiffany Heselton, who homered the game before, was walked. Fultz reached on an error and Lindsey Tripp walked. Robinson got the second out by throwing her fourth strikeout in two innings. With two outs, Welton came back to the plate for the second time in the inning and reached on an error, driving in another run. Dakota Wagoner threw out the next batter, second to first, to end the inning, but Shelby was up 9-0.

In the Okaw third, it was “Hammer Time” as Welton gave her rendition of “Can’t Touch This.” She rang up all three batters.

Allison Prosser came to play third and led off the Shelby third by launching a triple into right center. Gouchenouer brought her home with an RBI single. The 10-run rule was in play, but then Okaw stiffened and kept Shelby from completely running away with the game, like they did the night before when Shelby beat Stew-Stras 25-1.

Burch threw out the next batter, short to first and Robinson rang up the next two batters to end the inning. 10-0 Shelby.

Welton repeated her dominance from the third inning, by once again striking out the sides in the Okaw fourth, 1, 2, 3. Okaw brought in a reliever for Robinson, third baseman Katie Orris. Orris gave up a lead-off walk to Tripp, but came back by striking out pinch-hitter Alicia Pizzo.

Tripp advanced to second and third on wild pitches, then Burch threw out the next batter, short to first, allowing Trip to score, 11-0. The next batter hit a comebacker to Orris on the mound and she threw her out at first to end the fourth.