Staff report
Sidney High senior pitcher Grace Shell continued to mow down opposing hitters on strikes, raising her conference-leading total Monday with another strong outing.
She struck out 12 more batters to lead Sidney to a 4-3 victory over Vandalia in Greater Western Ohio Conference American North Division action Monday at Aschenbach Field.
That took her season strikeout total to 130, and that is 34 more than the pitcher behind her in the season statistics for the entire GWOC. She is averaging just under eight strikeouts per seven innings.
The Lady Jackets, who evened their record at 9-9 going into a Tuesday rematch at Vandalia, had to score a run in the bottom of the sixth to pull even at 3-3. Morgan Carey sped home on a base hit by Emily Knasel to tie the game up.
The in the bottom of the seventh, Summer Inman walked and Mackenzie Bates singled on a two-strike pitch. After Shell flied out, Maddie White put the ball in play on a half-swing, and it resulted in a sacrifice of both runners to second and third. After a walk loaded the bases, senior Hayden Spurgeon hit a ball to short that she beat out for the game-winning hit.
Inman, Bates and Carey were all 2-for-3 for the Lady Jackets, with Bates driving in two of the four runs.
Knasel had a hit, scored a run, walked once and stole two bases.
The linescore:
`R`H`E
Vandalia`100 011 0—3`7`0
Sidney`001 011 1—4`10`2
WP: Shell; LP: Theobald
Records: Sidney 9-9, Vandalia 5-14.
——
Russia 17, JC 0
JACKSON CENTER — Russia continued along unbeaten in County play and maintained its two-game lead in the standings with a 17-0 run-rule verdict over Jackson Center in action at JC Monday.
Russia goes to 8-0 in County play and 14-4 overall. JC is now 2-3 and 5-6.
Russia scored in every inning in posting the easy win, with six in the second for a 9-0 lead at that point.
Claudia Counts was 3-for-4 with a home run for the Lady Raiders and Grace Saunders was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run. She also drove in five runs.
Maria Herron doubled, tripled and drove in four, Katie Swartz singled and doubled, and Lexi and Lauren Monnin both had two singles.
Jackson Center was held to just one hit by Saunders, who struck out eight and did not walk a batter.
The linescore:
`R`H`E
Russia`363 41—17`19`1
Jackson`000 00—0`1`3
WP: Saunders; LP: Rogers.
Records: Russia 14-4, JC 5-6.
——
Houston 6, Anna 4
HOUSTON — Second-place Houston made sure it stayed there by itself by getting past third-place Anna in County play Monday, 6-4, at Houston.
The Lady Wildcats are now 6-2 in the league and 9-8 overall. Anna is 3-4 and 4-8.
Houston jumped ahead 4-0 after two frames, but Anna came back with three in the third and one in the fifth to knot the score at 4-4.
Houston went ahead to stay with two in the sixth.
Rebekah New, who had a run-scoring single in the sixth, finished with three hits and scored twice for the Lady Wildcats.
Allie Foster singled and doubled and Jenna Jarrett’s double plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Anna got two hits from Macy Richard, a triple from Riley Osborn, and doubles from Olivia Place and Taylor Spence.
The linescore:
`R`H`E
Anna`003 010 0—4`7`3
Houston`220 002 x—6`8`2
WP: Foster; LP: Crosson
Records: Anna 4-8, Houston 9-8.
——
Loramie 11, Botkins 1
FORT LORAMIE — Fort Loramie also won on the 10-run rule Monday, beating visiting Botkins 11-1 in five innings.
The Lady Redskins even their league mark at 4-4 and are now 5-11 on the season.
Botkins falls to 1-6 and 1-13.
Loramie scored seven times in the first inning to secure a victory. The Lady Redskins had just seven hits, but took advantage of nine walks by Botkins pitching.
Abby Holthaus was 2-for-2, with both being doubles, and Tori Barga, Aleah Frilling and Megan Koppin also doubled. Frilling was 2-for-3.
Frilling pitched the first three and got the win, and Koppin pitched the final two innings and struck out five.
The linescore:
`R`H`E
Botkins`000 10—1`4`1
Loramie`700 31—11`7`0
WP: Frilling; LP: Skinner
Records: Loramie 5-11, Botkins 1-13.
——
Versailles 14, Arcanum 4
VERSAILLES — Versailled trailed 3-0 after two-and-a-half innings, but scored six times in the third inning and went on to post a 14-5 victory over Arcanum in non-league action Monday.
The win was the ninth in a row for the Lady Tigers and took their record on the year to 13-6.
Kami McEldowney, the area’s leading hitter, continued along at a torrid pace, going 5-for-5 and scoring four times to lead the Lady Tigers’ 22-hit barrage. Three of her hits were doubles and she also drove in two runs.
Cori Lawrence was the winning pitcher and was also 4-for-5 at the plate.
Sarah Gigandet was 4-for-5 with two doubles, and drove in four runs, Hailey McEldowney was 3-for-5, and Brynna Blakeley 3-for-5. Hallie Mills added a triple, and Lawrence, H. McEldowney and Blakeley all drove in two runs. Blakeley also scored three times.
The linescore:
`R`H
Arcanum`030 020 0—5`8
Versailles`006 143 x—14`22
WP: Lawrence
Records: Versailles 13-6.
