With the winningest records in Lorain County so far this year, Keystone and Elyria Catholic represented the area well April 18.
In a joint doubleheader at LaGrange Community Park, the Panthers and Wildcats swept their games against Medina Highland and Independence.
“Overall, I thought we played pretty well today,” Keystone coach Jim Piazza said. “We had a little setback. Any time you play in not-so-perfect conditions, you are going to have those things. Overall, I thought we competed very well (against) both teams.”
Keystone’s bats went wild, combining for 31 runs in a 16-0 victory over Independence and following that performance with a 15-8 win against Highland.
“(Ten hits) are our team goals per game,” Keystone coach Anna Saxton said. “We are focusing on what we can contribute, regardless of what team shows up against us. What we can focus on is our strength, which is hitting. We want to make sure we have double-digit hits every time.”
The Wildcats’ offense was a team effort, as they recorded 22 hits.
Brooklyn Modock and Kailee Zealley each drove in three runs with two hits, setting the tone against Independence.
“This means our team culture is in a really great place,” Saxton said. “From Keystone softball player No. 1 to Keystone softball player No. 18 has everything to do with this program, and they are the reason why we are succeeding. Whenever one is down, the next person is going to be able to bring them up.”
The Wildcats started off against Independence’s sophomore Lila Manfredonia.
Keystone teed off on the Blue Devils’ Division VI first-team All-Ohio pitcher in the first two innings, scoring six runs (four earned runs) against her.
“It was about consistent adjustments,” Saxton said. “That is what we feel like the game is built off of. If we are going to make an error one time, it is not going to happen the same way again. We are going to build off of that.”
In the next game, No. 9 hitter Kyriana Grahn hit a second-inning grand slam to take a 4-0 lead.
The dominoes began to fall, as Tatum Holzhauer (two runs, three hits, three RBI), Corrine Lamb (three runs, two hits) and Bristol Foster (one run, two hits, three RBI) led Keystone (11-2) at the plate.
Inside the circle, freshman Macie Banks earned both victories. She also received assistance from teammates Samantha Pugh and Brooklyn Modock.
For Elyria Catholic, the Panthers encountered early adversity.
Yet they had well-rounded performances to beat Highland, 7-1, and Independence, 11-2.
Elyria Catholic won with Megan Stang (against Highland) and Kailey Tomasch (Independence) inside the circle.
The Panthers trailed the Hornets, 1-0, early with back-to-back doubles.
Elyria Catholic’s Paytin Baehr hits a fly ball to right against Medina Highland on April 18. (Randy Meyers – for The Morning Journal)
Then, Elyria Catholic (11-1) turned the tables, scoring six runs in the third inning.
It started with Akron commit Jessica Conner’s walk with the bases loaded, leading to Tomasch’s two-run single and Paytin Baehr’s two-run triple.
“This team feels really comfortable offensively to get runs on the board, because it is helping out our pitcher. Now, they do not feel so much pressure,” Piazza said.
Elyria Catholic matched up against Manfredonia and the Blue Devils in the second game.
Although Manfredonia struck out 13 Panthers, the team still scored in every inning except the seventh.
Elyria Catholic took advantage of wild pitches and fielding errors for a 2-0 first-inning lead and slowly distanced its advantage.
The Panthers had a five-run sixth inning begin with a solo home run from Baehr.
“I feel really positive about this group. We can go as far as we want to take ourselves. That is one of the things that we can do,” Piazza said.
In addition to Baehr, Conner also hit a solo home run, as she had four hits, two RBI, and five runs scored on the day.