STORY BY ROB KISER - PIQUA DAILY CALL
VANDALIA - There were more plot twists than an Alfred Hitchcock thriller Wednesday night in a 15-inning epic battle between Piqua and Vandalia-Butler in a GWOC North softball battle.

And the fact that when the roller coaster of emotions had ended and darkness was settling in, the Lady Indians left Vandalia with a 3-1 victory says so much about the maturity of Piqua team.

"Definitely, I would say that," Morgan Hughes, who broke the scoreless deadlock in the 15th inning with a RBI single, said. "I think this game showed our maturity."

Tina Byrd finished with a school record 26 strikeouts (that's not a typo) for the Lady Indians.

The bottom of Piqua's order reached base nine times in the game, so it was fitting that Hughes delivered the big blow.

Nikki Payne had led off the 15th inning with a single and Coreena Besecker ran for her.

After Miranda Baker sacrificed her to second and Sarah Turner walked, Hughes strode to the plate.

Hughes, who had already had an infield single and three walks, launched a shot in to the fading light in right field and Besecker raced home with the first run of the game.

"That (the big hit) was just the greatest feeling in the world," Hughes said. "I don't know any other way to describe it. It was just a great feeling."

The rally didn't end there. Kat Nicodemus hustled down the line to beat out an infield single and drive in an insurance run and Hughes hustled home on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.

Considering Byrd entered the home 15th with 30 consecutive scoreless innings pitched, that seemed like an insurmountable margin - and it was.

While Vandalia-Butler scored a meanlingless run, it was Piqua was celebrating a 3-1 win in the darkness to move to 3-1 in the GWOC North and a share of second place with Sidney.

The 26 strikeouts moves Byrd into a tie for 10th all time in the OHSAA record books.

Piqua will head to Springfield North today, on the momentum of one of its biggest weeks in recent memory, including beating Sidney Monday and state-ranked Brookville Tuesday.

Linescore:
Piqua ....000.000.000.000.003 - 3
Butler ...000.000.000.000.001 - 1

Byrd and Wilhelm. Western and Cox. WP-Byrd. LP-Western. 2B-Piqua: Wilhelm, Turner. Vandalia-Butler: Cox, Fisher (2). Records: Piqua 9-6 (3-1), Vandalia-Butler: 8-7 (1-2).

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