Girls Best of the Week: Highland wins three close softball games

SPARTA — Highland is proving it can win some close softball games.

Last week, the Scots came back to beat Buckeye Valley 8-7, then split a pair of Galion, losing one 7-6 and winning the other 5-4. They also edged Marion Harding 9-6 to close out the week and run their record to 4-6 overall and 3-5 in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference.

Go vote: Check out the latest Marion Star Best of the Week Performer Polls and last week's winners

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Against BV, Highland trailed 7-5 entering the bottom of the seventh inning when Maddy Stuckman hit a two-run triple, and Bri Tuggled ended it with a sacrifice fly RBI. Lydia Shaffer hit two home runs for four RBIs, and Jossalyn Varney hit one home run and single.

In the loss to Galion, Nikki Bennett led the Scots with a pair of singles. In the win over the Tigers, Stuckman tripled, Kaymi Lewis doubled, and Bryleigh Young and Shaffer singled twice. Shaffer and Kelsey Munday combined to pitch, striking out three and giving up eight hits.

The same duo combined in the pitching circle for the win over Harding, striking out seven and allowing seven hits. Stuckman hit her first career home run. Harding held the Scots to just five hits, but the Presidents were hurt by five errors.

Here are other highlights over the last week in Marion-area girls spring sports:

More softball

● River Valley took both ends of a doubleheader, beating Milton Union in five innings 11-0 and also 10-3. In the first game, Lanie Wooten threw a three-hitter with no walks and eight strikeouts. Addi Braun tripled, and Alexis Williams doubled, while Delaney Myers, Wooten, Bentley Auld and Sidney Street all singled twice. In the other game, Woods, Kam Fowler and Braun doubled, and Street gave up eight hits and five walks with two strikeouts in the circle.

● River Valley started the week with a 12-5 win over Pleasant. Braun doubled twice and singled; Auld tripled and singled twice; Woods, Myers and Street doubled and singled; Olivia Spires doubled; and Wooten and Williams singled twice. Street and Wooten teamed for a six-hitter with five walks and six strikeouts.

● RV dropped a pair of games with Shelby. In an 8-1 loss, six Vikings finished with a single. In an 8-5 loss, Auld singled and doubled; Fowler doubled; and Woosten, Woods and Braun singled twice.

● Ridgedale blanked Buckeye Central 15-0. Alexis Burton paced the Rockets with three singles, while Kenzie Delaney added a double and single, and Aubrie Smith, Lilly Ruth, Riley Delaney and Taylor Bouahom all hit two singles. In Ridgedale's first loss of the season, 9-6 at Northmor, Ruth doubled twice, and Kenzie Delaney homered and singled. For Northmor, Madison Simpson doubled and singled twice for three runs; Mahaila Strobel doubled and singled for three RBIs; Kate Kissling doubled and singled twice; and Shelby Cooper singled twice.

● Pleasant nipped Ontario 10-9 with Faith Staley hitting two home runs and a single for four RBIs. Also for the Spartans, Kenzie Patterson hit a double and drove in three runs; Katie Jordan went 3-for-3 and scored three times; Sydney Smith batted a double and single; Hannah Miller added a double; and Madi Pendleton got two singles.

● The Spartans shut out North Union 8-0. Jordan was 3-for-3 with a triple; Nicole Robinson hit a double and home run; Quinn Wilson homered and had three RBIs; and Pendleton doubled and singled.

● Cardington's Genevieve Longsdorf threw a four-hitter with no walks and 10 strikeouts, plus hit a triple and two singles in a 12-2 win over Pleasant. Also for the Pirates, Alexis Longsdorf hit a homer and two singles to score three runs, while Ari Simpson homered and singled for three RBIs, and Morgan Powell ended with five RBIs off two singles. Abby Ufferman tripled and singled, and Kayden Burchett tripled for Cardington.

● The Pirates also defeated Delaware Christian 12-1 behind the pitching of Simpson, who tossed a three-hitter with two walks and 14 strikeouts, while also hitting two doubles and a triple for three RBIs. Alexis Longsdorf doubled and singled and Powell singled. In a 2-0 loss to Danville, the Pirates were limited to three hits as Powell batted a double. Genevieve Longsdorf struck out 11, walked none and gave up four hits.

● Marion Harding's Kameron Biederman went 4-for-4 with a double as her team blasted Lucas 10-1. Destiny Brown and Addyson Myers both hit doubles, and Macey Harper hit two singles. Janaiye Braddy allowed six hits and two walks, while striking out 10.

● North Union split a pair of games with Shawnee. In a 4-2 win, Emma Padavano homered and doubled; Kale Keigley doubled and singled twice; Ryleigh Rasey doubled and singled; and Reese DeCamp singled three times, while pitching a five-hitter with five strikeouts and four walks. In a 3-2 loss, DeCamp struck out eight, walked two and allowed five hits. Doubling for the Wildcats were DeCamp, Sierra Farrington and Rasey, while singling twice were Keigley and Kennedy Harrah.

● In the 5-2 loss to Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division leader Indian Lake, Kailin McElroy singled twice, and DeCamp and Brenna Martino shared the pitching for six hits, five walks and five strikeouts.

● North Union played Utica in a doubleheader and lost the first game 7-6. McElroy went 4-for-5 followed by Padovano's triple and singled, Rasey's double and Rylee Fox and Keigley's two singles. In the 5-4 win, DeCamp was 3-for-3 with a double, and Keigley and Harrah both doubled.

Track and field

● Highland finished sixth at the 14-team Bloom-Carroll Invitational as the Scots were led by Cameryn Miller's runner-up run in the 3,200 meters in 11:44.64 and Kynzie Green's fourth-place finish in the discus at 102 feet, 8 inches.

● North Union took fourth at the nine-team Gerald Swankhouse Invitational in Upper Sandusky. Leading the Wildcats with top four finishes were Kennedy Ludwig in the 800 in 2:36.8 for fourth and 1,600 in 5:44.74 for third and Stella Hancock in the high jump at 4-4 for fourth.

● River Valley was sixth at the Swankhouse as Eva Moran won the pole vault in 11 feet to tie the meet record. She was also fourth in the 100 in 13.66. Madison Ward ended third in the shot put at 31-3.25 and discus at 108-1.5. Erica Mason was fourth in the 3,200 in 13:04.8.

● RV also competed in a six-way meet at Mechanicsburg. Moran won the pole vault at 11-6 and was second in the 200 at 28.97; Madeline McFarland won the long jump at 15-6.5; Ward, Kennedy Rensch and Madison Gwinner swept the top three spots in the shot put at 34-2.5, 32-0 and 28-10, respectively; Ward and Rensch went 1-2 in the discus at 109-3 and 97-8; and Gwen Butler was second in the 300 hurdles in 58.25.

Coaches and statisticians are encouraged to send their results to the Marion Star's Rob McCurdy at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, X @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

Vote: Marion Star Girls Best of the Week Performer Poll

● The latest poll is posted for this week with voting continuing at MarionStar.com and its app through early Sunday morning. Here are the nominees:

● Pleasant softball's Faith Staley hit two home runs and a single to drive in four runs in a win over Ontario.

● Cardington softball's Ari Simpson threw a three-hitter with two walks and 14 strikeouts, plus hit two doubles and a triple for three RBIs in a win over Delaware Christian.

● Highland softball's Lydia Shaffer hit two homers for four RBIs in a win over Buckeye Valley.

● Marion Harding softball's Kameron Biederman went 4-for-4 with a double in a win over Lucas.

● River Valley track's Eva Moran tied a meet record at the Gerald Swankhouse Invitational in Upper Sandusky, winning the pole vault in 11 feet. She was also fourth in the 100 meters in 13.66 seconds.

● Ridgedale softball's Kenzie Delaney went 4-for-4 with three runs scored, plus allowed one hit and three walks with nine strikeouts over four innings in a win over North Baltimore.

● Winning last week's poll with 457 out of 1,023 votes (45 percent) was Ridgedale softball player Lilly Ruth who had a triple, three stolen bases and three runs in a victory over Mount Gilead. Other nominees were Cardington softball's Celia Hall, River Valley softball's Delaney Myers, Marion Harding track's Lydia Price and North Union track's Gabby Lindsey.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Girls Best: Softball teams get games, take advantage of better weather