River Baseball

The Pilots’ Brad Goddard singled twice and knocked in four runs, while Jesse Merckle doubled and singled twice and plated a run to help lead the River Pilots to a convincing 11-0 shutout of Frontier, May 6 in Hannibal.

Cody Caldwell went the distance for the Pilots. He struck out six and scattered four hits to gain the nod from the hill.

In addition, Tucker Brown and Jadon Rush both doubled for the Pilots.

*****

The Pilots scored all their runs in the first inning, enroute to an 11-1 trouncing of Frontier in the Ohio Division IV Sectionals in Brookside May 9.

Tucker Brown singled, doubled twice and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Pilots, while teammates Brandon Price and Jordan Potts each singled twice.

Potts was the winning pitcher. He struck out five and scattered two hits.

Hundred Baseball

The Hundred Hornet Baseball Team last week lost 13-3 to Cameron, 11-1 to Toronto, 4-0 to Clay-Battelle and fell 11-6 to West Greene.

Dalton Kuhn struck out 13 against West Greene in a losing effort, while making a 6-3 double play and a 6-3-2 triple play against Clay-Battelle.

In the hitting department, Roger Stalnaker, Chris Varner, Shane Kuhn, Mitch Moore, Dalton Kuhn and Zack White each recorded multi hits, while Stalnaker knocked in the only RBIs for Hundred. Varner, White, Moore, Shane and Dalton Kuhn each stole bases and scored runs.

Valley Baseball

The Valley Lumberjacks scored 10 runs on 13 hits, but the Clay-Battelle Cee-Bees would tally 17 runs on 21 hits to defeat Valley 17-10 May 6 in Pine Grove.

Both teams combined for 34 hits and 27 runs. The ‘Jacks’ Hunter Ring singled and went yard and teammate Cody Bates was a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle. Albert “A-Train” McGuane chipped in with four singles. Alex Henderson, Phillip Bassett and Brandon Stoneking pitched for Valley with Henderson getting the loss from the mound.

VHS vs PCHS?Baseball Sectionals

After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning on a two-run home run, the Valley Lumberjacks would send 17 batters to the plate in the bottom half, scoring 13 runs on 10 hits enroute to a 15-2 victory over Paden City in the Region I sectionals May 9 in Pine Grove.

The ‘Cats scored two runs in the first inning on a James Stewart two-run home run of Lumberjack hurler Alex Henderson. Henderson buckled down and struck out the side.

In the bottom half, the ‘Jacks’ first four batters would cross the plate before the inning was over, and eight of the nine starters would touch the plate at least once. In the inning, Henderson and Phillip Bassett would each single twice and Cody Bates would walk and blast a home run. Cody Bassett, in his first plate appearance since he broke his hand, hit a homer, while Brandon Stoneking doubled.

Elsewhere, Albert “A-Train” McGuane singled and Hunter Ring and Drew Wade each walked twice. The only batter that hit once was Brock Stackpole, who grounded out.

After the opening frame, Paden City would settle down and give up two runs the rest of the way.

Alex Henderson worked two innings to get the win from the mound, striking out four. Tristen Kocher worked the next three and struck out three.

Stewart had a home run and a double to lead the ‘Cats.

VHS vs PCHS?Softball Sectionals

In the winners bracket of the Region One Section Two Sectionals May 4 at John Marshall High School, the reigning OVAC and Sectional Champions Cameron took on the Valley Lumberjills, who beat Paden City in the opener May 2, 7-3, to have the right to face the Lady Dragons.

The Lumberjills would score in the first inning, with Morgan Starkey leading off with a walk. She then stole second and made her way to third on a pass ball. Starkey scored on a swinging bunt that Ashley Staley beat out for the ‘Jills’ only hit and only run of the game.

The Lady Dragons would answer the bell with an unearned run in the bottom half of the first to knot the game at one and would go on to dismantle Valley in a mercy-rule shortened game 17-1.

The Dragons’ all-state pitcher Tara Paczewski would silence Valley’s bats the rest of the way, striking out nine and walking three to pick up the victory

Holly Schell was shell-shocked, giving up 17 runs on 16 hits, including home runs by Audrey Bryan and Kelsey Allen, who also knocked in 10-17 runs themselves.

Paden City vs Valley Softball

In the losers bracket, the Lady Wildcats redeemed themselves from the sectional opener with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Lady Lumberjills.

Paden City got themselves out of a pickle in the first inning after a lead-off double by the ‘Jills’ third baseman Morgan Starkey. The Lady ‘Cats catcher, Dominique Craft, spotted the fleet-footed Starkey trying to steal and picked her off.

After a player makes a nice play, it is a superstition that they are the first to bat for their team, and so it was, here, with Craft being at the top of the order. She singled sharply and stole second, and scored on a close play at home on a single by the ‘Cats’ second baseman, Amanda Heasley, to take a 1-0 lead.

Valley loaded the bases without the benefit of a hit, but two Kelsey Loy strike outs and a nice play at home got the ‘Jills’ Heidi Shaw out out and kept Valley from tying the game.

Schell used only five pitches to get out of the second frame and laid the ‘Cats to sleep, one-two-three in the second.

In the third inning, Valley knotted the game at one. Starkey again opened the inning with a base hit, then stole second and would make her way to third on a single by Shaw.

Brittany Guthrie plated Starkey when she belted a blast to right that the outfielder misjudged. Schell would add a single, but the ‘Jills again failed to score with girls left on.

In the bottom half of the third, Craft singled for the second straight time to open an inning. She would race to third on a Megan Cutlip single. Cutlip would steal second and Heasley would RBI Craft once more to put the Lady Wildcats back on top 2-1.

Three Wildcat batters reached safely, sending the ever-dangerous Loy to the plate to smack a liner off Schell’s glove. The ball would bounce right to Ashley Staley at second, who tagged out Ashley Efaw, who had just walked to first.

Things got serious in the fourth. Lumberjills Jessica Ashcraft and Brooke Staley walked. Starkey then hit one to Paden City’s Heasley at second, who made a nice diving grab to rob her of a hit. Heasley then touched second to double up Ashcraft.

The ‘Jills would tie the game at two in the top of the fifth. Guthrie would single sharply to right field and would steal second. Schell would single to plate Guthrie.

However, the Lady ‘Cats answered in the bottom half. Cutlip was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game. She then stole second and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice. Heasley singled to plate Cutlip for the winning run.

Valley tried to make some noise in the sixth, but a Brooke Staley single was all the ‘Jills could get as Loy would get out of the jam with back-to-back ground outs to end the game.

Schell was the hard-luck losing pitcher. She limited the Wildcats to six singles, striking out four and walking two. Starkey had a single and a double, while Shaw belted two singles. Guthrie, Schell, Ashcraft and Brooke Staley each added singles.

Loy tossed the complete game, striking out five and walking six. Craft and Heasley each had multiple hits, while Katie Kline and Cutlip singled.

Hundred Softball

The Lady Hornets won two and lost two games in the sectionals, defeating Morgantown Trinity 8-6 and 20-12 and losing to Clay-Battelle, 18-1 and 12-0 in the championship game last week.

In the May 4 opener at Mylan Park in Morgantown, the Hornets tacked on four runs in the bottom of the fifth to escape with an 8-6 victory. Mercedes Goff scattered six hits and struck out two to gain the nod from the rubber, while Macy Woods pounded out four singles and knocked in three runs. Raven McDiffitt, Katie Tennant and Goff each recorded multi hits for Hundred.

*****

In their second game May 4 against Clay-Battelle it was all Cee-Bees, as they scored four runs in the first two innings and plated nine in the third to knock off the Lady Hornets 18-1.

McDiffitt had a double and scored Hundred’s lone run, while Tennant and Cheyenne Myers each tacked on a single. Hayley Hayes took the loss from the mound. She struck out three and walked five.

*****

Against Trinity in the losers bracket, the Lady Warriors of Trinity scored seven runs in the first, but the Lady Hornets would not go down easily and got back in the game by scoring four runs in the bottom half of the first.

After holding Trinity in the second frame, Hundred tallied nine in the second and put away the Warriors in the third with seven more runs to earn the high scoring 20-12 victory.

McDiffitt had a triple and a pair of singles, while scoring four times and knocking in two runs and stealing three bases. Taylor Ashcraft had three singles and a double, while plating three base runners. Tennant smacked three singles and blasted a double while plating a season-high five runs. Hayes tacked on a pair of singles and a double, while knocking in a pair of teammates.

In addition, Myers added three singles, Ebert two, and Goff and Woods each drilled a single in a 21-hit Hornet attack.

Goff was credited with the win. She struck out two and Ashcraft, who got the save, also struck out two.

*****

In the sectional championship, the Hornets’ bats were not as vocal as they were in the previous game and Clay-Battelle would go on to post a 12-0 mercy-rule-shortened game.

After a 21-hit semi final against Trinity, the Hornets only mustered a single by Myers. Goff took the loss took from the mound.

The Hornets finished the season 6-13 and will lose Lindsay Burley, Macy Woods and Raven McDiffitt to graduation. “I’m sad the season is over, but i’m already looking forward to next season” said Head Coach Brian Bartlett.

Paden City Softball

Cameron defeated Paden City in the Region One Section Two Championship by the score of 8-0 May 5 at John Marshall High School.

The Lady Dragons’ Tara Pacezewski struck out 14 and didn’t walk at batter, while tossing her third straight no-hitter.

Kelsey Loy took the loss from the mound. She struck out one and walked three.

The Lady Wildcats ended the season with a 9-12 record and will lose Ashley Efaw, Kelsey Loub, Chiara DiLeo and Katie Kline to graduation.