High School Softball: Power rankings for all 10 Chillicothe-area teams following week four

CHILLICOTHE — The sun is shining, the rain is slowing down and another week of high school softball is under wraps.

Unioto and Adena duked it out for sole control of the Scioto Valley Conference standings on Monday, and Unioto walked away on top. Westfall continues its ascent up the standings, while Chillicothe and Piketon have been on hot streaks of the their own.

Another week of action brings plenty of developments and shakeups throughout the area. Now, it's time to see how every area team stacks up against one another. Here are power rankings for Chillicothe-area teams following the fourth week of the season:

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10. Paint Valley Bearcats (2-12, 1-6 SVC)

Paint Valley was close to a second win in the SVC during its rematch with Southeastern, but it fell short in a 14-10 barn burner. On the bright side, it scored its most runs in a game all year, and Kyla Littler had a strong showing after going 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.

9. Southeastern Panthers (3-11, 0-6 Scioto Valley Conference)

The Panthers got over the hump Wednesday after inching out their first conference win over the Bearcats. This builds off another win over South Point the day before, which gives the Panthers just enough of a bump to string together a little win streak. After weeks of struggle, the Panthers are getting somewhere. It also helps having Jozy Lougheed hit two home runs in the same game and batting in eight runs over the past two games.

8. Zane Trace Pioneers (4-5, 2-4 SVC)

The Pioneers have had to work through a three-game skid this week, punctuated by a 1-0 loss to Piketon on Wednesday. It wasn't all bad, however. Brynn Wipert gave up only five hits in the loss and struck out five, which was her best outing since a 5-1 win over Southeastern two weeks ago.

The strength of Zane Trace's recent conference slate can't be ignored either. All in one week it faced Adena, a renewed Westfall and a Piketon squad on the rebound. That's a tough schedule for any team.

7. Waverly Tigers (6-4, 1-3 Southern Ohio Conference III)

The Tigers have taken the brunt of some of the better teams in the SOC III this past week. Losses to South Webster, Valley and West are tough to swallow, and facing a scoring margin of 34-2 doesn't help. But the Tigers can still build off their win over McClain last weekend, especially with a pair of nonconference bouts booked for the weekend — they are 5-1 against nonconference opponents on the year.

6. Chillicothe Cavaliers (6-6, 3-3 Frontier Athletic Conference)

If there's one team to point to when looking for mid-season turnarounds, perhaps no better example has been the Cavaliers. They've won five of their last six, hit double figures in four of those wins and have allowed just over four runs per game on average since the win over Huntington two weeks ago.

The most welcome surprise for the Cavaliers thus far? Cadie Boltenhouse. The freshman has four home runs through 12 games, which is the third-most for an area player, according to MaxPreps.

5. Piketon Redstreaks (8-6, 3-3 SVC)

As far as weeks go, the Redstreaks have had among the better ones within the SVC. They've put up three wins in a row, and over that span have outscored opponents 26-3. Their latest win, 1-0 over Zane Trace, put them back to an even conference record. Paige Helton, who's thrown two complete games in her last two starts, has been a major part of that recent success. She only allowed nine hits in those last two games, giving the Redstreaks the boost they've needed on defense.

4. Westfall Mustangs (3-6, 3-2 SVC)

After a pair of nonconference losses last weekend, Westfall rebounded in a massive way. To start, its offense exploded for 16 runs — its most runs in a game this year — in a win over Zane Trace on Monday. Then, it battled Huntington through 22 combined runs the next day. Had it not been for a postponement Wednesday, Westfall might have had a chance to upset Adena after going up 5-0 through three innings.

The only thing keeping the Mustangs down is their record outside the SVC. But with a fleet of conference matchups over the next week, its SVC record will be how it can correct course.

3. Huntington Huntsmen (9-5, 3-3)

Four wins in a row is a solid run through last week, and holding three of your opponents to under three runs make the run more impressive. Huntington did face a scare after taking Westfall down to the wire, but it secured the go-ahead after a three-run homer from Allie Baker in the seventh inning.

The loss to Unioto on Wednesday might spoil the win streak, but the Huntsmen are still holding firm in the top half of the SVC standings.

2. Adena Warriors (12-3, 5-1 SVC)

A minor step back this week after a loss to Unioto, but Adena still remains one of the top teams in the area. It rebounded from its loss Monday with a 12-5 win over Zane Trace. It fell behind Westfall 5-0 through three innings, but the game was delayed and will be picked up at a later date. One loss isn't going to derail the Warriors' season.

1. Unioto Shermans (10-3, 7-0 SVC)

Shermans take the top spot back this week. A statement win over the Warriors in Frankfort maintains their position as the lone team in the SVC undefeated in conference play, and an 11-1 win over Huntington adds further confidence to that position. The Shermans are confident atop the SVC now, and they seem capable of holding that position.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: High School Softball: Week four power rankings for Chillicothe-area teams