High School Softball: Power rankings for Chillicothe-area teams heading into mid-April

CHILLICOTHE — Bring on another week of high school softball.

As the days of April tick by, programs around the area have churned out another set of impressive performances throughout the week. Adena hasn't allowed a run in five games. Unioto is 5-0 in the Scioto Valley Conference. Westfall has won two straight to jump into the top half of the conference standings.

With another week in the books, it's time to see how every team in the area stacks up against one another. Here's the latest power rankings for all 10 Chillicothe-area softball teams:

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10. Southeastern Panthers (1-10, 0-5 Scioto Valley Conference)

While still struggling to break out against SVC opponents, the Panthers managed to shake their losing streak over the weekend with a comeback win over Rock Hill. That win on Saturday has been the bright spot in a rough week for the Panthers. At the very least, the offense was rolling in their loss to Westfall on Wednesday, and Dylan Skaggs has picked up extra-base hits in her last two games.

9. Paint Valley Bearcats (2-10, 1-4 SVC)

The Bearcats haven't won since defeating Southeastern over a week and a half ago, but their schedule has been crowded by three of the top teams in the conference in that span. They've had to face Adena, Unioto and Huntington all in just three days. Still, there's a bright side. The Bearcats led the Shermans through three innings. That might be an indication of potential development.

8. Chillicothe Cavaliers (4-6, 1-3 Frontier Athletic Conference)

Mending a three-game skid with three straight wins is a solid recovery plan for the Cavaliers, especially when they scored 29 runs in those three games and shut down Miami Trace 10-3 on Tuesday. They dropped a game to the Panthers the next day, but the offense still managed to put up six runs in the meantime.

7. Piketon Redstreaks (5-6, 1-3 SVC)

Losses to Adena and Piketon sting, but Piketon has padded the week with a win over Southeastern and a split doubleheader with Warren. Aubrey Heath is their catalyst at the plate, and Paige Helton is adapting well to the starting role inside the circle.

6. Westfall Mustangs (2-3, 2-1 SVC)

Count two in a row for the Mustangs. They're still working on their overall record, but their wins over Paint Valley and Southeastern busted them up to the top half of the conference standings. It helps that Adriana Hicks has struck out 20 batters in those two games, and that Logan McNeal has hit two home runs and batted in six. It seems the Mustangs have finally found their feet.

5. Waverly Tigers (4-2, 1-1 Southern Ohio Conference III)

The Tigers slugged their way to a win over Minford on Wednesday after Machelle Stewart and Ava Robertson both hit home runs and batted in a combined seven runs on the day. Not a bad win to even out the Tigers' conference record, and a decent start to an arduous conference slate coming up over the next several days.

4. Zane Trace Pioneers (3-3, 2-1 SVC)

The Pioneers may be floating with an even record overall, but they've been able to pull ahead against conference opponents. Their only SVC loss thus far came against Unioto, which is one of the two undefeated teams remaining in the conference. Meanwhile, a 5-1 win over Southeastern kept the Pioneers offense rolling through the weekend.

3. Huntington Huntsmen (5-4, 1-2 SVC)

After a tough weekend stretch marred by losses to Adena and Chillicothe, Huntington let off some steam with a 13-1 win over Paint Valley on Wednesday. Nora Moore and Leah McCloskey both excelled at the plate after going 4-for-4 and 3-for-3, respectively, and the two combined for five runs scored and five RBIs in the win. It's a win the Huntsmen needed, and they delivered in dominant fashion.

2. Unioto Shermans (7-2, 5-0 SVC)

Another week and another four wins for the Shermans. When a team has a lineup as productive at the plate and so inclined to extra-base hits as the Shermans, the plus-40 run differential over the past week begins to make sense. In short, the Shermans are 5-0 in the SVC for good reason. That leaves them and Adena as the lone undefeated teams in the conference. With a game between the two set for Monday evening, the Shermans have a chance to play spoiler.

1. Adena Warriors (11-2, 4-0 SVC)

There's a difference between wins with major differentials and there is the dominant run Adena has experienced. It hasn't allowed a run in 32 innings, including against teams like Huntington and Piketon. Throw in Kiera Williams' perfect game against Trimble and an offense that hasn't scored less than five runs in a game since March, and Adena is sitting atop the rankings once again.

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