Riverside 4, Graham 2
Riverside used early offense and a dominant all-around performance from Keira Manahan to defeat Graham 4-2, bumping the Pirates to 3-3 on the season while Graham falls to 2-2.
Manahan set the tone immediately, leading off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to center field to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Riverside added to its advantage in the second inning, drawing back-to-back two-out walks with the bases loaded to push the lead to 3-0, then extended it to 4-0 in the third on a two-out RBI single from Kara Klingler that scored Molly Carman.
Graham mounted its best threat in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs after hits from Charli Werner and Mariah Sizemore. Lexi Baker drew a walk to bring in one run, and another scored on an error in the next at-bat to cut the deficit to 4-2. Manahan responded by striking out the final batter of the inning, part of a 10-strikeout performance in a complete game effort.
Sizemore led Graham with two hits, while Baker reached base three times. Riverside saw balanced production with five different hitters recording hits and four players driving in runs or scoring.
The Pirates host Covington on Wednesday, while Graham faces West Liberty-Salem on Thursday.
Wapakoneta 11, Bellefontaine 1 (6 innings)
Bellefontaine fell to 2-2 on the season in an 11-1 run-rule loss to Wapakoneta.
The Redskins jumped out early, scoring twice in the first inning on an RBI double and a defensive miscue to take a 2-0 lead. The game remained quiet offensively until the fourth inning, when Joy Fogan launched her third home run of the season over center field to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Wapakoneta quickly regained control, capitalizing on errors and timely hitting to score three runs in the fifth and six more in the sixth to put the game out of reach. Bellefontaine was unable to respond offensively as Wapak pitching shut things down the rest of the way.
Chloe Heminger led the Chieftains at the plate, going 2-for-3, while Fogan accounted for the lone run with her homer.
Bellefontaine will look to bounce back Tuesday against Lima Shawnee.
Northeastern 11, Triad 1 (5 innings)
By: Gavyn Heitman, Student Reporter
The Northeastern Jets combined strong pitching from Kylee Williams with timely hitting to defeat Triad 11–1 in a run-rule victory, dropping the Cardinals to 0–3 on the season in the first game of a back-to-back series.
The Jets started fast, as Laney Philips led off with a double to spark the offense. Triad struggled early, issuing multiple walks that led to four runs in the opening inning, including two that were walked in before Ashlyn Bowser added another by stealing home. Northeastern continued the pressure in the second, adding an RBI double and a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 6–0. With two outs, Triad briefly regrouped, as Emma Enochs recorded a strikeout to end the inning.
Triad’s highlight came in the bottom of the second. Facing a 6–0 deficit, Kaitlyn Herron battled through a long at-bat before driving a pitch over the fence for a solo home run to put the Cardinals on the board. Addison Mathews followed with a double, but the inning ended shortly after on a groundout.
Both teams settled in during the middle innings, with strong pitching performances in the third and fourth. Northeastern added another run in the fourth, capitalizing on a defensive error, before breaking the game open in the fifth. Lyla Graham delivered an RBI double, Blaire Maples added a sacrifice fly, and Bowser scored on a wild pitch as part of a four-run inning.
Facing the run rule in the bottom of the fifth, Triad made one final push, loading the bases with two outs. However, a runner was picked off at third base to end the game.
Graham led the Jets with three hits and two RBIs, while Bowser added three runs and three RBIs. Williams earned the win in the circle, striking out seven. Herron’s home run accounted for Triad’s only run.
Triad will travel to Northeastern for a quick rematch on Tuesday, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
West Jefferson 18, Mechanicsburg 5 (5 innings)
Mechanicsburg was overpowered by a high-powered West Jefferson lineup, falling 18-5 in a five-inning run-rule contest.
West Jefferson wasted no time, with the first five batters reaching base in the opening inning, highlighted by a two-RBI double and a two-run single to build a 5-0 lead. Mechanicsburg answered in the bottom half as Birdie Wilhelm singled and later scored on a triple from Avery McDowell to make it 5-1.
The Roughriders continued to pile on, scoring three runs in both the second and third innings, including a two-run home run in the second and multiple RBI singles in the third to stretch the lead to 11-1. Mechanicsburg managed to push across a run in the third on an RBI single from Bella Batkiewicz.
West Jefferson added four runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth. The Lady Indians showed some fight late, as McDowell hit a two-run homer and Batkiewicz followed with a solo shot, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the run rule.
Wilhelm, McDowell, and Batkiewicz each had two hits, with McDowell driving in three runs and Batkiewicz adding two.
Mechanicsburg falls to 0-2 and will face West Jefferson again on Tuesday.
Fairbanks 20, West Liberty-Salem 2 (5 innings)
West Liberty-Salem fell to 1-2 after a 20-2 run-rule loss to Fairbanks.
The Tigers opened the scoring with an RBI single from Ashlyn Yeater, but Fairbanks answered immediately with a seven-run bottom of the first inning, using a combination of hits, walks, and defensive miscues to take control. West Liberty-Salem added another run in the second when an outfield error allowed Rhyla Branham to score, but the Panthers again responded with five runs in their half of the inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing double.
Fairbanks continued to add on with three runs in the third and five more in the fourth to extend the lead to 20-2. Panther pitching dominated late, allowing just one baserunner over the final stretch to secure the win.
Yeater led the Tigers offensively, going a perfect 2-for-2 with an RBI.
West Liberty-Salem will look to respond in a rematch with Fairbanks on Tuesday.
