The Riverside, Bellefontaine, and Indian Lake middle school softball teams came together Saturday for the “Swinging for a Cure” event, raising $2,753 for the Logan County Cancer Society. The total was made possible through a combination of community support, including local business donations, a shirt fundraiser, and strong fan turnout throughout the day.
The full replay of the round-robin fundrasier came be found on PeakofOhioTV HERE.
Raffle baskets were also a key part of the fundraiser, with a variety of items put together and raffled off during the event. Attendees had the opportunity to purchase tickets for chances to win, adding another layer of engagement while helping increase the overall amount raised for the Logan County Cancer Society.
Riverside 3, Bellefontaine 1
Riverside opened the day with a 3-1 win over Bellefontaine in a game dominated early by pitching and missed opportunities.
Bellefontaine threatened right away. Skylar Rutherford led off with a walk, stole second and third, and attempted to score on a fielder’s choice, but was thrown out at the plate to end the early chance. Riverside answered in the second, loading the bases on a Cayda Millice single, a Kinsley Crawford walk, and Aliya Salo reaching on a fly ball, but Bellefontaine pitcher Joelle Eaton struck out the side to keep the game scoreless.
Riverside finally broke through in the third with a two-out rally. Bella Robinson worked a walk, Izzy Strayer singled, and Bella Shultz reached on an infield hit to load the bases. Millice came through on the second pitch of her at-bat, sending a hard ground ball the other way into right field for a two-run single and a 2-0 lead.
Bellefontaine cut the lead in half in the fifth when Rutherford singled, stole second and third again, and scored on a throwing error. Riverside answered in the bottom half. Alexis Skaggs reached on an infield error, moved up on two wild pitches, and came home on a Robinson double to push the lead to 3-1.
The Chiefs threatened again in the sixth, as Leigha Canter doubled and stole third to put the tying run 60 feet away, but Shultz recorded two strikeouts to end the game.
Millice led Riverside with two hits and two RBIs, while Bellefontaine had five different players record hits.
Bellefontaine 12, Indian Lake 2
Bellefontaine responded in game two with a 12-2 win over Indian Lake, using a fast start and a huge second inning to take control.
Indian Lake struck first in the opening inning. Ivy Kaser singled and stole second, and Kayla Tracy drove her in with an infield single. Caleigh Hamilton Hoy later walked and stole second, and Tracy eventually came home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0, though two more runners were thrown out at the plate to limit the damage.
Bellefontaine answered immediately. Rutherford singled, stole second and third, and scored on a Sophia Pulfer single. Pulfer later came home on a Leigha Canter bunt single to tie the game.
The Chiefs blew it open in the second. Jocelyn Myers and Rutherford drew walks, and Pulfer loaded the bases with a bunt single. Alivia Owens cleared the bases with a double to left. Joelle Eaton was hit by a pitch, Canter followed with an infield single to score another, and Me’lah Conklin capped the inning with a triple to right, bringing home two more for a 7-2 lead.
Bellefontaine kept adding on. In the third, Owens delivered again with a two-run single after a pair of outs. Rutherford added an RBI double later, and in the fifth, Owens and Eaton reached to start the inning before RBI singles from Canter and Jayden Rogan ended the game at 12-2.
Owens led Bellefontaine with five RBIs, while Canter drove in three. Tracy had the lone RBI for Indian Lake.
Riverside 11, Indian Lake 8
The final game of the day saw Riverside rally from a big deficit to defeat Indian Lake 11-8 in the most dramatic game of the event.
Indian Lake jumped out early again. Lilly Groeschel doubled to start the game and later scored after working around a walk to Caleigh Hamilton Hoy. Addy Schulz followed with a two-run single to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead.
Riverside answered in the bottom half. Bella Robinson doubled, stole third, and scored on an RBI groundout from Izzy Strayer. Bella Shultz later singled, moved up on wild pitches, and scored on another groundout from Cayda Millice to tie the game at 2-2.
Indian Lake then broke the game open in the second with six runs. Preslie Roberts singled, Abby Phillips and Eden Kaser walked to load the bases, and the Lakers delivered three straight hits. Ivy Kaser singled home two, Kayla Tracy added another RBI single, and Groeschel cleared the bases with a triple. Groeschel later scored on a Schulz groundout to make it 8-2.
After a couple quiet innings, Riverside began to chip away. Paisley Strapp singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a passed ball. Later in the inning, Millice delivered an RBI single, Shultz scored on a wild pitch, and Crawford added an RBI double to cut the lead to 8-6.
The Pirates completed the comeback in the fifth. Robinson led off with a home run to left to make it a one-run game. Strayer and Shultz followed with singles, Millice tied the game with another RBI hit, and Crawford gave Riverside the lead with a run-scoring single. Aliya Salo added another RBI on a groundout to extend the lead to 10-8.
Riverside added an insurance run in the sixth on a two-out RBI double from Robinson, and Millice shut down Indian Lake in the seventh to seal the comeback.
Robinson led Riverside with three hits, including a home run, and two RBIs, while Millice drove in three. Schulz had three RBIs for Indian Lake, and Groeschel added two hits and two RBIs.
Riverside finished the day 2-0, Bellefontaine went 1-1, and Indian Lake finished 0-2.
In the event competitions, Bellefontaine’s Skylar Rutherford put on an impressive display of power in the home run derby, blasting 4 of her 5 swings over the fence to take first place. On the defensive side, Riverside’s Bella Robinson showcased her arm strength in the farthest throw competition, uncorking a throw that traveled 73 yards to win the event. Both competitions drew strong participation from all three schools and added an extra layer of excitement to the day, giving players a chance to showcase their individual skills while supporting a meaningful cause.
