T-L Photo/ Kim North It’s been nearly 10 years since the Shadyside High School softball team captured the Ohio Division IV state championship with a 1-0 victory in eight innings over North Lewisburg Triad at Akron’s Firestone Stadium. The game was played on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Several members of the team got together Friday to reminisce. Pictured with the state championship trophy are, kneeling from left, Megan Heagney and Kenzie Fielding. Standing, from left, are assistant coach Joe Weaver, assistant coach Amy Games, Lindsey Dunn, Kaitlyn Weaver, head coach Jillian Ongley and Sarah Dierkes.

SHADYSIDE — To some members of the 2015 Shadyside softball team, winning the Ohio Division IV state championship still hasn’t sunken in 10 years after the fact, while others still relish the unprecedented memories that were made.

Friday, June 6, will mark 10 years since the Lady Tigers hoisted the championship trophy high into the Stark County air after outlasting North Lewisburg Triad, 1-0, in eight innings before a sea of orange inside Akron’s Firestone Stadium.

Shadyside entered the postseason on a downward trend, having lost to Bridgeport on the Mead Township Park diamond 10-0 in five innings. However, eight victories later, the Tigers were on top of the Buckeye State.

“It seems like yesterday,” then-Shadyside head coach Jillian Ongley said Friday afternoon at a small gathering in Tiger Town. “Now all the memories are popping up on social media.”

The Shadyside Softball Organization sponsored a get-together midway through this season to honor the team.

“It was very nice. I think most of the team were there,” Ongley said of the event. “It was nice to get everyone together again and see the girls all grown up.”

Shadyside started its magical run through the postseason with three home sectional tournament games. The Tigers blanked Bridgeport (4-0), Toronto (4-0) and Steubenville Catholic (3-0) before heading to New Philadelphia, where Tuscarawas Catholic waited on its home field. Shadyside prevailed 6-1 for the District Championship.

Then it was on to Pickerington Central High School, where the upstart Tigers met No. 1 ranked Leesburg Fairfield in what turned out to be a 7-1 laugher. No. 6 Danville was the next victim, 3-1, for the Regional title and an unexpected trip to the Final 4. There Shadyside took down New Riegel, 6-5, to advance to the championship contest.

“We just gelled at the right time and the stars aligned for us,” assistant coach Joe Weaver said. “We really covered each other’s backs.”

“Every game was someone different stepping up to lead us. It just wasn’t one person,” Ongley stressed. “That was the nice thing about the run. Everybody contributed in one way or another. It was a great group of girls.”

The winning run came on a suicide-squeeze bunt as junior Lindsey Dunn got the ball down and freshman speedster Kaitlyn Weaver sprinted home. The play was no secret in the Shadyside dugout.

“That was all Coach Joe,” Ongley said. “He wanted to squeeze bunt every game.”

Weaver explained his rationale for the call.

“Our rule was, less than two outs and a runner on third, we’re squeezing. That’s kind of how it happened. We practiced bunting every day,” he recalled Friday. “Everyone bunted, even those that didn’t have any speed. It doesn’t matter how fast you were, all you had to do was put the bat on the ball. We’re sacrificing the batter to get the run in.

“As soon as Kaitlyn got on base, we knew we had just won the state championship.”

“I swear on my life I dreamed it was going to happen this way,” Ongley said at the time. “Three games ago I told Coach (Joe) Weaver we were going to win the state championship on a suicide squeeze. Kaitlyn’s going to be on third and it happened. This is an awesome feeling. This group of girls is special. They are extraordinary.”

Locked in a scoreless battle after seven-and-a-half innings, Weaver, the Lady Tigers (22-5) freshman leadoff hitter, legged out an infield single to start the bottom of the eighth. Karly Klug’s sacrifice bunt was thrown wildly to first, allowing the speedy Weaver to take third. Klug alertly advanced to second before the ball was returned to the circle, setting the stage for Dunn’s dramatics.

“No it doesn’t seem like it has been 10 years, but it also still feels like a dream,” Kaitlyn Weaver said. “Whenever it happened it was like we were floating and our feet hadn’t touched the ground. It still feels like that at times.

“We all knew it was coming,” she admitted. “We definitely all worked together. It started with me getting on base. Karley (Klug) was up next and she put the ball in play. When nobody covered third I just kept running.

“I can’t remember what I was thinking when Lindsey bunted the ball,” Weaver acknowledged. “I don’t think I was thinking anything, really. I was just a baby back then. I had a one track mind that I just had to get there (home plate). Lindsey couldn’t have done any better. The bunt was perfect … perfect.”

Dunn said there was a lot of pressure, but she was confident in herself.

“I didn’t even have to look at Coach Jillian at third base (for the sign) because I immediately knew what my job was,” Dunn recalled. “I also snuck a quick peek at my dad, Bruce, in the stands and he knew, as well, what was going to happen. We had been practicing that situation all season and when it came time to execute it, we were able to make all the practice worthwhile.

“(Coach) Jillian had that dream and we were able to make it come true because of our hard work and determination,” Dunn added. “We all knew what had to be done.”

Senior Megan Heagney was superb all season long, but she was exceptional in the game that counted the most. She gave up four hits and struck out 13. She surrendered a mere eight runs in eight tournament games.

“I think our key was finally working together. After years of playing together and against each other growing up, we all came together at the perfect time,” she said. “No. It still hasn’t sunk in yet. Honestly, it’s like it is blacked out in my mind. All the adrenaline we had at that time makes it still feel surreal … like did it really happen?”

In addition to the aforementioned Dunn (catcher), Kaitlyn Weaver (second base), Klug (shortstop) and Heagney, the roster was also included seniors Shelby Benedetta (left field), Sarah Dierkes (first base), Kenzie Fielding (center field) and Andrea Gooch (reserve); Jaelyn Greenwood (third base), Kayla Smith (designated hitter), Mackenzie Osman (right field), Samantha Rosser, Abby Rosser, Alyx Baker, Lexi Archer and Dascha Clark. Dave Ragase and Jaclyn Brooks also served as assistant coaches.

Yes, it’s been 10 years and, yes, it really did happen.