Girls Best of the Week: Elgin softball closing on NWCC softball title

MARION — Elgin took another step toward a 2022 softball championship in the Northwest Central Conference.

The Comets are ahead in the standings with a 9-0 mark and 10-2 record overall. They were helped by a 3-2 makeup win at home against Ridgedale on Friday.

Against the Rockets, Alyvia Roth threw a fiver-hitter with 12 strikeouts and no walks, plus she recorded two RBI. For Ridgedale, Abigail Bridges tossed a four-hitter with seven strikeouts and five walks. Kate Collins and Emily Mulvaine tripled and Aubrie Smith doubled for the Rockets.

Ridgedale is 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the league. Elgin holds a two-game lead with three NWCC contests remaining.

The Comets won NWCC titles in 2019 and 2021 with the 2020 season wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are some other highlights from the last week with the area's girls spring sports teams and athletes:

» Earlier in the week, Ridgedale handled Upper Scioto Valley 8-1 with Bridges tossing a two-hitter with two walks and 13 strikeouts. Smith tripled and singled, Jordyn Nutter singled three times to score three runs, Alexis Burton also singled three times and Alexa Garnes singled twice.

The Rockets also beat USV 13-2 as Makenzie Delaney gave up two hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts, plus went 4-for-4 with a double. Nutter was 3-for-4 with a double and four runs, while Burton and Mulvaine doubled, and Bridges went 3-for-3 with three RBI.

Ridgedale rolled in a doubleheader with Mansfield Christian 28-2 and 18-1. In the first game, Delaney allowed five hits and a walk with six strikeouts, plus hit a double and two singles. Bridges was 5-for-5 with a double, five RBI and four runs; Collins was 4-for-6 with three runs; Lily Ruth was 3-for-5 with four runs; Nutter hit a double and single for four runs and three RBI; Mulvaine hit two singles for four runs and four RBI; and Burton doubled and singled twice for five RBI.

In the other game, Bridges gave up two hits and no walks with seven strikeouts and hit two singles. Delaney was 3-for-4 with two doubles and five RBI, while Smith doubled and singled, and Brenda Scott doubled and scored four times.

» River Valley topped Shelby 7-4 with Maizie Frank singling three times, Delaney Myers doubling twice, Shelby Westler doubling and singling and Riley Hamm doubling. Hamm struck out eight and walked none in allowing seven hits. In a 6-2 loss to the Whippets, Myers homered and singled twice, Bentley Auld doubled and singled; Westler doubled and Addison Braun singled twice.

The Vikings lost a pair of hard luck 2-1 outcomes during a doubleheader with Lexington. The first one went 12 innings with Lanie Wooten going the distance to allow 10 hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Wooten also singled and doubled, while Auld and Frank singled twice. Because of the length of the first game, the second was limited to five innings. Westler doubled and singled, and Hamm pitched a three-hitter with five strikeouts and a walk.

» Cardington toppled Centerburg 14-2. Mac Linkous went 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI; Hailee Edgell went 3-for-3 with a double, triple and four RBI; Dana Bertke tripled and singled for three runs and four RBI; Riley Burchett doubled; Abbi Hardwick singled twice; and Genevieve Longsdorf and Ari Simpson teamed for a three-hitter with two walks and five strikeouts.

» Highland saw a program-record 11 straight wins snapped against Buckeye Valley, losing 5-1 with Adyson Landefeld, Guinevere Jackson, Faith Geiger and Audrey Robinson all getting hits for the Scots.

Highland bounced back for a doubleheader sweep of Big Walnut 13-2 and 11-1. In the first game, Emma West tossed a four-hitter with three strikeouts and a walk as Geiger had three hits and Robinson a triple. In the other game, Stevie Asher didn't allow a hit or a walk in striking out seven, plus hit a double as Geiger went 3-for-4.

Earlier in the week, the Scots bounced Galion 9-4 with West getting the win in three innings, allowing four hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Jackson, Geiger, Landefeld and Brooklyn Croy all had multiple hits.

In a wild one where the teams combined for 23 errors and 25 hits, Highland prevailed over Galion 21-13. Asher gave up eight hits and five walks with eight strikeouts, plus hit three home runs for six RBI. Jackson and Landefeld were both 3-for-5, while Robinson tripled, and Geiger and Abby Jordan doubled.

Highland defeated Clear Fork 10-1 to set the record. Asher gave up four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Croy hit a two-run homer, and Asher, West and Jackson ended with multiple hits.

» North Union softball was busy as well. The Wildcats edged Benjamin Logan 6-5. Jada Davis doubled and tripled, and Laine Sparks and Kayla Sedgwick doubled and singled, while Cagney Stewart doubled. Reese DeCamp gave up nine hits, three walks, three earned runs and three strikeouts.

They also beat Ben Logan 14-7 with Sparks striking out eight and walking five, plus hitting a double and two singles for four RBI. DeCamp doubled and singled twice; Sedgwick and Stewart doubled and singled; Candace Holloway doubled; and Emma Padovano singled twice.

North Union beat Urbana 12-1 with DeCamp pitching five hits, no walks and five strikeouts and hitting two singles. Sedwick homered, singled and scored three runs; Sparks doubled twice and scored three times; Stewart tripled, doubled and singled; Davis singled twice and doubled; Holloway and Ryleigh Rasey doubled; and Padovano singled twice.

In a 10-1 win over Urbana, Sedwick hit a home run; Davis, Holloway and Savannah Queen all doubled; Rasey hit three singles; Jayla Kelley and DeCamp hit two singles; and Sparks gave up three hits and five walks with 12 strikeouts, while hitting a homer and single.

The Wildcats got an RBI from Sparks in the sixth inning of a 1-0 win over Shawnee. Stewart singled twice, and DeCamp pitched a five-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks. In an 18-0 win over Bishop Ready, Sparks threw a one-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks, plus hit a double and single. Davis homered, doubled and singled for five RBI; Holloway doubled twice and singled; Sedgwick doubled and singled; Rasey doubled twice; Stewart doubled; and Baylee Grubb singled twice.

» River Valley's track team hosted its senior night and scored 95 points to beat Wellington's 75, Delaware Christian's 33 and Granville Christian's 2. Emma Hawk was a double winner in the 1600 meters in 6:03.46 and 800 in 2:42.65 as was Eva Moran in the 200 in 28.62 and pole vault at 9-6. Other RV winners were Megan Diven in the discus at 114-7, Lexie Stiverson in the shot put at 33-1, Annabelle Gandert in the long jump at 16-0.75, the 4x800 in 12:27.7 and the 4x400 in 4:52.98.

» Pleasant won a three-way meet at Highland with 66 points, while the Scots had 56 and Johnstown 47. Posting wins for the Spartans were Whitney Waddell in the 400 in 1:07.55 and 200 in 30.65, Maddie Aurigemma in the 100 in 14.58, Olivia Pratt in the 300 hurdles in 54.6, Casey Kimball in the 800 in 2:39.02, Kalyn Kimball in the 3200 in 12:58.88 and Tayden Obenhour in the long jump at 14-5. Winning for Highland were Gracyn Zerby in the pole vault at 8-0, Josie Turiaga in the discus at 96-11, Alexis Eusey in the shot put at 30-feet and the 4x800 in 11:12.44.

» The Spartans were fourth at the 10-team Bob Royer Invitational at Colonel Crawford, scoring 80 points. Casey Kimball won the 1600 in 5:35.24 and was second in the 800 in 2:32.25, while Waddell won the 40 in 5.68, was third in the 400 at 1:05.45 and seventh in the 200 at 28.68. Kalyn Kimball was runner-up in the 3200 in 12:56.17 and fourth in the 1600 in 5:56.99; Obenour was fifth in the 100 hurdles in 17.33 and sixth in the long jump at 14-11.75; Pratt was eighth in the 300 hurdles in 53.85; Whitney Baumgartner was eighth in the 3200 in 13:42.31; Aurigemma was eighth in the shot put at 29-2; the 4x800 was second in 10:49.16; and the 4x400 was third in 4:31.99.

» Elgin also competed in the Royer, finishing eighth with 41.5 points. Kenya Dillon was fifth in the 100 in 13.47, eighth in the 200 in 29.04 and seventh in the high jump at 5-10. Tiffany Hix was fourth in the long jump at 15-5 and pole vault at 8-6. Brooklyn Mathews was sixth in the 400 in 1:06.91 and seventh in the long jump at 14-5.25. Sam Girton was third in the 40 in 5.74. The 4x100 was runner-up in 53.6, the 4x200 fifth in 1:57.98 and the 4x400 seventh in 5:51.61.

» Marion Harding finished third in a four-way meet at Bellefontaine. Indian Lake won with 78 points, while the hosts had 69, Harding 62 and Piqua 38. A'nya Reynolds posted a school record in the pole vault at 10-feet to win, while also winning were Ayris Rich in the high jump at 4-10, Morgan Harrah in the 400 at 1:08.14, the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays.

» Highland's Juliette Laracuente competed by herself at the two-day Huber Heights Wayne Invitational near Dayton and won the triple jump two two-and-a-half feet at 39-1. She also won the long jump at 18-3.5 and was runner-up in the high jump at 5-4.

» Cardington topped Elgin, but lost to Fredericktown in a three-way meet it hosted. Posting double wins for the Pirates were Meghan Greenawalt in the 100 hurdles (18.71) and high jump (4-8) and Hazel Jolliff in the long jump (14-4.5) and 300 hurdles (51.66).

» Hannah Carney won the 200 in 26.97 and 400 in 1:00.03 to help North Union to a fifth place finish out of 10 teams at the Benjamin Logan Invitational.

Coaches and statisticians are encouraged to send their results to Rob McCurdy at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

VOTE: Marion Star Girls Best of the Week Performer Poll

» Pleasant track's Casey Kimball won the 1600 meters in 5:35.24 and was second in the 800 in 2:32.25 at Colonel Crawford's Bob Royer Invitational.

» Marion Harding track's A'nya Reynolds won the pole vault in a four-way meet at Bellefontaine, recording a school-record mark of 10-feet.

» North Union track's Hannah Carney won the 200 meter in 26.97 and 400 in 1:00.03 at the Benjamin Logan Invitational.

» Cardington softball's Mac Linkous hit a key inside-the-park home run in a win over Fredericktown that gave the Pirates a ninth straight league championship.

» Elgin softball's Alyvia Roth pitched a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts and no walks, plus produced two RBI in a win over Ridgedale.

» Highland softball's Stevie Asher hit three home runs and six RBI, plus pitched a complete game eight-hitter with eight strikeouts and five walks in a win over Galion.

Voting continues through early Sunday morning at MarionStar.com and its app.

In last week's poll, River Valley softball's Lanie Wooten earned 2,404 of 4,850 (50 percent) to win it. She threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and one walk, plus hit a double and two singles in a win over Marion Harding. Other nominees were Cardington softball's Genevieve Longsdorf, Ridgedale softball's Abigail Bridges, Elgin softball's Alyvia Roth and North Union softball's Laine Sparks.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Girls Best of the Week: Elgin softball closing on NWCC softball title