Hoover High School softball looks ready for OHSAA tournament after big win over Marlington

LEXINGTON TWP. — The OHSAA softball tournament draws have been released and the postseason is right around the corner. Hoover looks more than ready for the occasion. The Vikings seemed to be firing on all cylinders as they knocked off Marlington 17-2 on Monday.

Marlington, a regional qualifier a year ago, entered the game at 17-3.

"We came out and hit the ball well today," Hoover head coach Jerry Goodpasture said. "It was nice to take an early lead in this one and get out in front. It's also nice to see us hitting at this time of the year. There are only a few regular-season contests left so this is the time you want to be doing that."

Summer McCaw and Sadie Carroll helped provide plenty of offense for Hoover. Both players launched home runs. Carroll was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs while McCaw was 4-for-4 with three RBIs.

"Both of them are playing well for us," Goodpasture said. "Summer really ripped the ball to the opposite field for her home run. That was good to see. Sadie is having a really nice year. She is the only hitter on the team hitting above .400 right now."

The players are well aware of the looming postseason and are preparing to leave it all on the field.

"We've been starting to turn it up, the intensity," Carroll said. "We had a long weekend where we didn't play our best softball. I'm glad we were able to turn around and have a good performance today. The thing that has been good to see is the fact that we have been getting timely hits. Early in the year, we were stranding a lot of runners. We aren't doing that now."

Hoover also got a strong pitching performance from Ella Letosky. Letosky struck out nine and allowed just four hits against Marlington's high powered offense.

"I think this is a game that is going to help us a lot," Letosky said. "Marlington is a really good team and we had a great day. I don't feel like I pitched my best but it feels good to get a win like this after a long weekend."

Letosky and McCaw form arguably the best pitching tandem in the area. It's likely that either would be full-time starters on a lot of other teams. It's not something Letosky has thought much about.

"I love pitching with Summer," Letosky said. "It's a really great environment. We bounce ideas off of each other all the time. It really takes a lot of stress off my shoulders to know that she is right there with me."

Hoover improved to 13-5 with the win. The Vikings are hoping to carry that momentum over into a busy week that features Federal League games against Green, Jackson and Lake and a non-conference game against Louisville.

"I think this game is a big confidence booster for us going into this week," Carroll said. "Because of all the rainouts, we are trying to fit as many games in as we can."

Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com

On X: @chickmanREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hoover High School softball overwhelms Marlington ahead of tournament