Girls Best of the Week: Softball teams produce big offensive numbers to start seasons

[ASFN Admin]

Some Marion-area high school softball teams showed their offensive might in the first week of the season.

Marion Harding blanked Delaware Christian 22-0. Kameron Biederman produced a home run and triple to go with two other hits and four RBI for the Presidents, while Paytn Smith also had four hits. Aleena Davis, Allison Hecker, Abbey Hoertz and Rylee McKinniss all added multiple hits, too. Hecker threw a three-hitter with three walks and six strikeouts.

The Presidents also handled Lucas 19-9, scoring 10 times in the second inning. They ended with 12 hits as Raina Smith doubled and singled to score three times, Paytn Smith tripled and singled for three RBI, Biederman tripled and scored three runs, Braelynn Gomez tripled and singled, and McKinniss and Davis had multiple hits.

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Meanwhile, Cardington rolled to a 24-4 win over Colonel Crawford. Ari Simpson hit a home run, two doubles and ended with five RBI, while also pitching a three-hitter with three walks and six strikeouts. After her, Myleigh Bishop was 4-for-4 with two doubles; Celia Hall had two doubles and six RBI; Alexis Longsdorg had two singles and a double with four runs; Abigail Hardwick homered, tripled and singled; Morgan Powell doubled twice; and Hailey Littlemeyer scored four times.

Here is how other girls teams from the Marion area fared during the opening week of spring sports:

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Softball​

• Pleasant’s Faith Staley struck out 10 and walked two in a five-hit 14-4 victory over East Knox. She also had three hits and three RBI. Destiny Brown smacked two doubles for six RBI, and Kenzi Patterson went 2-for-3 for the Spartans.
• Pleasant fell twice to Shelby. In a 13-2 game, Peyton Simpkins and Izabella Adkins led the Spartans with two hits, while in a 6-3 game that was tied until the fifth inning, Sydney Smith doubled and singled, and Staley struck out six with one walk and three earned runs.
• Ridgedale romped to a 13-1 win over Lehman Catholic, scoring seven times in the third inning. Kenzie Delaney tossed a one-hitter in four innings, adding two hits at bat. Taylor Bouahom walked three times and scored three times, and Jillian Slaughterbeck had two hits. In a 6-1 loss to Colonel Crawford, the Rockets got a double and single from Delaney plus 13 strikeouts in the circle, while Brenda Scott singled twice.
• North Union took a doubleheader from Elgin, winning 10-4 and 9-3. In the two games, Riley Fox and Kale Keigley doubled and had three other hits; Kennedy Harrah tripled and doubled for three RBI, and Sierra Farrington doubled and singled twice. Leah Cox struck out eight and walked three in one win and Brenna Martino struck out five with no walks in the other.
• For Elgin against NU, Emilie Bishop had four hits with a double, while Chloe Atha doubled twice and singled, and Kylee Christ doubled and singled. Gracelynn Edmonstone and Madison Hill added doubles.
• North Union also beat Bexley 13-0, allowing just one hit. North Union also scored eight runs in the second inning when trailing 3-0 and cruised to a 17-6 win over Bishop Ready.
• Mount Gilead’s Anavey Jodrey gave up five hits and six walks with three strikeouts, but her team was limited to two hits in an 11-1 loss to Madison Plains.
• Highland took care of Ontario 14-4 when Lydia Shaffer hit two homers and drove in five runs. Delaynie Hernandez doubled twice and singled for four RBI, and Navaeh DeWeese and Kate Clements doubled and singled twice. Saylor Squires doubled and singled. In a 15-5 loss to Ontario, DeWeese singled twice, Braylin Romshak doubled and singled and Squires doubled.
• London outlasted Highland 14-13 as Romshak had three hits, Hernandez a double and homer, Shaffer a triple and single and Squires two singles. In a 9-4 win over Licking Valley, Brielle Gilmore struck out four in the circle, while Maddy Stuckman doubled and singled, and Clements and Shaffer singled twice.
• River Valley swept by Pickerington Central 8-3 and 10-6. Addi Braun went 2-for-3 with a homer and Kamryn Fowler was 3-for-4 in the 8-3 win. Kylie Eastep was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in the 10-6 win. The Vikings needed eight innings to get by Granville 14-12 as Olivia Collins and Sidney Street were both 3-for-5 as Collins scored three times and Street drove in four. RV also topped Ridgedale 6-1 with Eastep striking out 10 in six innings and Fowler going 4-for-4.
• Ridgedale defeated Northmor 7-3. Delaney homered and threw a three-hitter with no earned runs, 17 strikeouts and two walks. Slaughterbeck doubled, and Scott singled twice, while Andie Shumaker and Karmani Huffman both recorded two-run singles. Shelby Cooper struck out seven and walked three for Northmor.
• The Golden Knights turned it around for a 19-3 win over Ridgedale when Cooper pitched a five-hitter with five strikeouts and no walks, plus added three hits at the plate. Kate Kissling had three RBI and Kallie Wright two hits. For the Rockets, Alexis Burton, Delaney and Hannah Murphy all had two hits.
• Cooper and Wright managed two hits apiece in a 9-4 Northmor loss to Utica.

Track and Field​

• Marion Harding took third at the eight-team Red Raider Relays in London. Posting wins were the 4x200-meter relay and the distance medley relay, while getting second were the 4x100, sprint medley and middle distance relays. Individually, Annabelle Johnson was fourth in the discus at 73 feet, 7 inches, and Bre Card was fourth in the high jump at 4-6.
• Pleasant was third out of five teams at the Triad Relays. Winning events were the 4x800, 4x200 and 4x300 relays, and the 4x100 was a runner-up. Gilead Christian’s distance medley relay was second.

Coaches and statisticians are encouraged to send their results to the Marion Star's Rob McCurdy at [email protected], 419-610-0998, X @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

Marion Star Girls Best of the Week Performer Poll​

• Here is the first athlete of the week fan poll for the Marion Star. Readers can vote as often as allowed at MarionStar.com and its app through early Sunday morning.
• Cardington softball's Ari Simpson hit a home run and two doubles for five RBI, plus allowed only three hits and three walks with six strikeouts in a win over Colonel Crawford.
• Marion Harding softball's Kameron Biederman hit a home run and triple for four RBI in a win over Delaware Christian.
• Pleasant softball's Faith Staley recorded three hits and three RBI and pitched a five-hitter with 10 strikeouts and two walks in a win over East Knox.
• North Union softball's Kennedy Harrah tripled and doubled for three RBI in a win over Elgin.
• Highland softball's Lydia Shaffer hit two home runs for five RBI in a win over Ontario.
• Ridgedale softball's Kenzie Delaney knocked a home run, plus threw a three-hitter with 17 strikeouts and two walks in a win over Northmor.
• River Valley softball's Kamryn Fowler went 4-for-4 at the plate in a win over Ridgedale.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion-area high school girls sports best of the week: March 24-29

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