Tallmadge advances to Division II baseball district final; Hudson, Jackson win in lacrosse
BASEBALL
Twinsburg Division II District Semifinal
Tallmadge 4, Parma Heights Holy Name 1
Jackson Schwalbach (7-2) scattered four hits to guide Tallmadge to a victory at Dodge Intermediate School in Twinsburg on Monday.
Tallmadge's leading hitters were Niko Roldan (two singles, RBI); Beau Gromley (single, RBI) and Ryan Snyder (single, RBI).
"Jackson gave up two hits in the first inning and only gave up two more the rest of the game," Tallmadge coach Kenny Linn said. "He finished with six strikeouts and one walk. He's been very consistent all year. This was his sixth complete game of the year.
"Justin Theisen and Zander Boyd started a rally in the bottom of third with back-to-back singles out of the eight and nine holes of the lineup. A bunt single by Seth Yacobucci loaded the bases. Then we got a two-strike single by Niko Roldan for an RBI, a walk by Beau Gromley for an RBI and Ryan Snyder hits a groundball to shortstop and beats the double play throw for an RBI. We scored our final run on a double steal with Snyd stealing second base and Roldan beating the throw to the plate."
Tallmadge (18-8) will meet Hunting Valley University School (23-8) in a district final at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Dodge Intermediate School. The Blue Devils are attempting to win their fifth district championship in a row and 10th in the past 11 years.
University School beat Buckeye 3-0 Monday.
North Ridgeville Division II District Semifinal
Norton 5, Beachwood 2
The eighth-seeded Panthers (15-10) scored three times in the third inning to stay ahead of the 14th-seeded Bison (15-11) and then rode the arm of George Antal (6-1).
It’s the second time in four seasons Norton has reached the district final after doing it in 2019.
This one came courtesy of senior Carter Metz (two singles, RBI) and junior Owen Easterling (two singles, RBI), who did it the way the Panthers have all season, by getting dirty and playing hard-nosed.
Up next, is a district final Wednesday against defending state champion Archbishop Hoban (18-9).
“We knew it was going to be tough,” Norton coach Jack Pencnik said. “Coach [Ben] Shepherd and Coach [Scott] Noel over there. That’s the Kenny Linn coaching tree from Tallmadge. We knew they would put pressure on us. We harped on them all week to do that. It was great to see us play clean baseball and then the rest followed.”
North Ridgeville Division II District Semifinal
Archbishop Hoban 5, Bay Village Bay 2
The third-seeded Knights (18-9) made things interesting but held off the upset bid of the 19th-seeded Rockets (12-13).
Shawn Parnell belted a triple and an inside-the-park home run and drove in three and Zack Zimmerman notched two singles and drove in two.
Hoban put it on the arm of Noah LaFine, who sent Bay down in order in the seventh to pick up his first save of the season.
“I was happy the game got close at the end,” Knights coach Andrew Bonnette said. “It gave us a taste so our pitchers can see what it’s going to be like. We continue to talk to them about it just being a game. It’s, ‘Play your game and don’t worry about anything else. We do that. We’ll put ourselves in a good spot.”
Richfield Division II District Semifinal
Chagrin Falls 3, Revere 0
Playing on its home field was not enough for the Minutemen (13-14), who had their season end with a shutout loss to the Tigers (17-11).
Revere's best scoring chance came in the top of the first inning, when the Minutemen loaded the bases with one out. However, Chagrin Falls starter Leo Fornara (6-2) struck out the next two batters to escape the jam.
Fornara pitched a shutout. He allowed four hits and had nine strikeouts.
Revere starting pitcher Ben Halvorson (4-2) gave up two hits in four innings. However, two errors helped to sink the Minutemen.
After an error allowed Fornara to reach base in the fifth inning, shortstop Gavin Stevens hit a two-run single to open the scoring,
Tigers center fielder Danny Hardy then doubled and scored on an error in the sixth.
Richfield Division II District Semifinal
Cloverleaf 5, CVCA 2
In a battle between two of Northeast Ohio's hottest teams, the Colts (19-9) made it 10 wins in a row, eliminating the Royals (25-3) and advancing to the district final for the second consecutive year.
After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning, CVCA clawed back. Catcher Trevor Vojtkofsky smacked an RBI double off the fence in left in the bottom of the first, followed by a sacrifice fly by Andrew Hendrickx to tie it in the third.
However, a three-run fifth inning by the Colts proved to be the difference. Second baseman Avery Skelton hit a two-run double to highlight the inning.
Colts starter Mark Stewart (6-0) went the distance, giving up two earned runs on three hits.
Creston Division III District Semifinal
Waynedale 2, Manchester 1
Sophomore Ottoniel Solorzano-Romero and junior Owen Canter were in a pitcher's dual at Norwayne that ended with Solorzano-Romero and the Golden Bears advancing to a district final.
Solorzano-Romero struck out 10, walked two and allowed one hit and one earned run.
Canter struck out 12, walked three and allowed three hits and no earned runs over six innings. Canter also had Manchester's lone hit.
Ian Lehman gave Waynedale a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI double that scored Connor Gatti and Josiah Raber singled in Dylan Raber in the third.
Jayce Mauger walked and scored Manchester's run in the top of the sixth.
Waynedale will meet Gates Mills Gilmour Academy in a district final at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Norwayne High School. Gilmour beat Smithville 4-0 Monday.
SOFTBALL
City Series Postseason Championship
Firestone 9, Ellet 2
Seniors Lauren Toth and Maggie Core scored two runs apiece and senior Madison Dies pitched a complete game to lead the Falcons (17-4) to a win in the City Series Postseason Championship on Monday at Firestone Stadium.
Firestone and Ellet shared the City Series regular season title.
Firestone won its first City Series postseason title since 2000. Ellet had won every City Series postseason title from 2001-2021.
Toth hit three singles from the leadoff spot, Core hit two singles and senior Katie Morehouse hit two doubles and scored a run. Dies allowed six hits, two runs, one walk and struck out four. Dies also hit a two-run single.
Ellet took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Freshman Sisi Albaugh hit a double and scored on an RBI single by junior Gabby Cooper, who then scored on a wild pitch.
Firestone responded with three runs apiece in the bottom of third, fourth and sixth.
Firestone sophomore Anna Morrow hit an RBI single in the third and junior Katie Emery smacked an RBI double.
Dies' two-run single and an RBI double by Morehouse in the fourth gave Firestone a 6-2 lead. Falcons junior Ally Shkolnik, Toth and Morrow each hit an RBI single in the sixth.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Division I regional semifinal
Jackson 16, Avon 3
Lauren Pallotta scored six goals and had two assists and Allie Hartnett added three goals and an assist to lead Jackson.
Jackson defensive standouts Cam Meek (Kent State recruit), Ava Peterson (Pittsburgh recruit) and Catalina Gonzalez-Abreu joined goalkeeper Lauren Esposito to limit Avon.
"Our defense is a staple for us," Jackson coach John Kroah said. "... It allows our offense to operate freely. We can afford to be a little more aggressive with our offensive strategy because we trust our defense so much."
Jackson (19-1) will host Hudson (18-3) in a regional final at 6 p.m. Thursday. Hudson defeated Jackson in the regional finals last year. The Polar Bears beat the Explorers 16-6 earlier this season.
"We're excited about this opportunity," Gonzalez-Abreu said. "They are a strong team, but we are excited about how we are playing."
Division I regional semifinal
Hudson 13, Cleveland St. Joseph Academy 11
Ryan St. Pierre had three goals and an assist and Peyton Farley totaled two goals and three assists to lead Hudson (18-3) past St. Joe (18-3).
Hudson's Emma Palmer, Kaci Ramlow and Kennedy Kerrigan scored two goals apiece, Lexie St. Pierre and Mackie Stickler both netted one goal and Jo Lawler made six saves.
"It's exciting to see how far this young team has come this season," Hudson coach Margie Anderson said. "They move the ball well in transition, find each other on attack and work as a cohesive unit on the defensive end. They have figured out how to use their speed and work together to get the job done from one end of the field to the other."
— Compiled by Don Coughlin, Michael Leonard, Brad Bournival, Michael Beaven and Cliff Hickman
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Firestone wins in softball; Norton, Hoban, Tallmadge baseball advance
