The first day of action in the 2026 high school softball season delivered a little bit of everything, from dominant pitching performances to explosive offensive showings and late-game drama.
The headline moment came in Graham’s thrilling extra-inning walk-off victory, while Urbana’s lineup erupted across a doubleheader sweep, showcasing one of the most potent offenses of the young season.
Elsewhere, strong outings in the circle, timely hitting, and back-and-forth battles highlighted just how competitive the area is shaping up to be.
Graham Falcons 12, Milton-Union Bulldogs 11 (8 Innings)
The most dramatic game of the day came in an extra-inning thriller, as Graham defeated Milton-Union 12-11 on a walk-off from senior Sophia Fraley. The teams combined for 42 hits and just three strikeouts in a back-and-forth battle.
Milton-Union struck first with a two-out, two-run single in the first, and after Graham answered with a Mariah Sizemore leadoff triple and run scored, the Bulldogs added five more in the second to take control. Graham responded with four in the bottom half, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Elena Portis following a double steal by Brinlee Middleton and Charli Werner. Abigail Chamberlain and Lexi Baker followed with RBI singles to make it 7-5.
The Bulldogs made it 8-5 in the fourth, but Graham chipped away as Baker and Lily Swank drove in runs, with Swank tying the game in the fifth. After a quiet stretch, Milton-Union regained the lead in the seventh with three singles and a sac fly to go up 10-8.
Graham answered again, as Chamberlain doubled, Baker was hit by a pitch, and both Swank and Fraley delivered RBI singles to tie it. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Werner singled, but Fraley was ruled out at the plate on offensive interference, sending the game to extras.
Milton-Union took an 11-10 lead in the eighth, but Graham loaded the bases once more behind a Sizemore double, another Baker hit-by-pitch, and a Malynn Bacher walk. Swank drove in the tying run on a groundout, just beating a potential game-ending double play, before Fraley ended it with a ground ball up the middle.
Fraley finished 4-for-6 with two RBIs, while Swank and Sizemore also had four hits apiece. Swank drove in four runs, Sizemore scored four times, and Graham totaled 24 hits, drew four walks—three from Middleton—and had eight players record multi-hit games in the win.
Urbana Hillclimbers 12, Triad Cardinals 4 (DH Game 1)
The Urbana Hillclimbers opened their season with a 12-4 win over Triad in game one of a doubleheader, powered by a dominant outing from sophomore pitcher Isla Wooten.
Urbana struck first in the opening inning as Addison Fox tripled and later scored on a sacrifice groundout from Lillian Webb. Triad answered in the second with a Riley Haser double, a sacrifice bunt from Haillei Jenkins, and an RBI groundout from Rachel Haser.
The Hillclimbers broke it open in the third, scoring six runs—five before an out was recorded—to take a 7-1 lead. Triad responded over the next two innings, highlighted by an Emma Enochs home run in the fourth and an RBI single from her in the fifth, while Gracie Martin scored on a passed ball to cut it to 7-4.
Urbana pulled away again in the sixth, plating five runs in an inning that featured a triple and two doubles. Wooten closed it out in the seventh, striking out two of the final three batters to finish a complete game, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits with three walks and 12 strikeouts.
Bailee Packer led the offense at 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while three other Hillclimbers had multi-hit games and four players scored at least twice, led by Fox with three runs. For Triad, Enochs went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
Urbana Hillclimbers 14, Triad Cardinals 3 (DH Game 2)
Game two saw Urbana’s offense take over completely, as the Hillclimbers hit over .500 as a team with 15 hits and six players recording multi-hit performances in a 14-3 run-rule victory.
Urbana wasted no time getting started. After turning a double play in the top of the first, Fox singled to lead off the bottom half. Later in the inning, Morgan Boyd cleared the bases with a double to left, Packer followed with a triple to bring her home, Maley Pine drove in Packer with a single, advanced on a passed ball, and then scored on a single from Aubriee Reynolds.
Urbana added another run in the second before Triad scored in the third when Savannah Thomas was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Haillei Jenkins followed with a sacrifice bunt to make it 6-2.
The Hillclimbers put the game away with four runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to secure the run-rule win. Reynolds started in the circle, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out three.
Maley Pine led the offense in game two, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Fox scored four times, and Urbana had seven players record at least two hits while four players drove in at least two runs. For Triad, Emma Martin went 2-for-3 and scored every time she reached base.
Riverside Pirates 7, Northeastern Jets 5 (DH Game 1)
The Riverside Pirates took game one of a tightly-contested doubleheader against the Northeastern Jets, 7-5.
Northeastern jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Riverside answered in the second with a two-out rally. After two quick outs, Eva Dodds hit a ground ball that was too hot to handle for the shortstop, and Ellie Zwiebel later took advantage of chaos on the basepaths to score and tie the game at two.
Both teams added a run in the third, and after Northeastern took a 4-3 lead in the fifth, Riverside responded in the bottom half. With one out and a runner on second, Chloe Purtee blasted a two-run home run over the left field wall to give the Pirates their first lead at 5-4. Emilee Robinson later added insurance, reaching on a single, stealing second, advancing on a passed ball, and scoring on another passed ball.
Riverside added one more in the sixth when Zwiebel reached on a dropped third strike and raced all the way around to score after a throw sailed up the first base line, making it 7-4. Northeastern added one in the seventh but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Keira Manahan earned the win, allowing five runs on nine hits and five walks while striking out nine. Purtee led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
Northeastern Jets 8, Riverside Pirates 7 (DH Game 2)
Northeastern answered in game two with an 8-7 win, holding off a late Riverside comeback to split the doubleheader.
The Jets came out hot, scoring four runs in the first inning, forcing Riverside to pull starter Molly Carmen after just five batters. Riverside responded with two runs in the bottom half, as Manahan doubled and later scored on a single from Purtee, and Zoey Ransbottom added an RBI double.
After both teams scored in the second to make it 5-3, Northeastern added two runs in the third and one more in the fourth on RBI singles to extend the lead to 8-3.
Riverside began to chip away in the fifth when Robinson singled to drive in Purtee. In the sixth, Kara Klingler doubled to right to score two runs, and Purtee followed with a triple to the same area, though she was left stranded at third. Heading into the seventh, Riverside trailed 8-7.
After a 1-2-3 top half, Riverside had a chance to walk it off. Emma Pope and Zwiebel reached with back-to-back singles, and both advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Emma Strayer. With runners in scoring position, Klingler came to the plate, but a pop-up to second base ended the comeback attempt just short.
Purtee once again led the offense, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Klingler added two RBIs and two runs scored in the loss.
St. Mary’s Memorial Roughriders 4, Bellefontaine Chieftains 1
St. Mary’s Memorial opened its season with a 4-1 win over Bellefontaine, backed by a brilliant outing from pitcher Adyson Vandekeere. The Lady Chieftains found themselves on the wrong side of that performance despite a solid effort of their own in the circle.
The Lady Riders got on the board in the bottom of the third in unusual fashion. With two outs and a runner on third, Joy Fogan struck out the batter, but the ball got by the catcher, allowing the run to score. Memorial extended the lead in the sixth, taking advantage of costly Bellefontaine errors to add three more runs and make it 4-0.
Bellefontaine responded in the seventh when senior outfielder Addison Wical led off with a double. A few batters later, Chloe Heminger drove her in with a single up the middle to get the Lady Chieftains on the board. However, Vandekeere shut down the final two batters to secure the 4-1 win.
Fogan pitched all six innings for Bellefontaine, allowing four runs—just one earned—on seven hits while striking out five. Offensively, four Lady Chiefs recorded hits, including a double from Wical, a triple from Maci Flesher, and singles from Heminger and Ava Dolan.
