Madison No. 1 in Richland County Softball Power Poll, and in Division II
Not only are the Madison Rams cruising in the Richland County Softball Power Poll holding onto the No. 1 spot yet again this week, but they are starting to get some attention around the state.
In the first Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association State Poll released on Monday morning, the Rams were voted the No. 1 team in the state in Division II by fellow coaches. at 10-0, they are in complete control of the power poll and making waves in the state poll. With a big week ahead, they have a chance to really make some noise.
Let's check out how they did last week as well as check in with all of the other Richland County teams with this week's power poll.
1. Madison (10-0)
The Rams had a monster of a week beating Clear Fork 13-1, Mansfield Senior twice, 21-0 and 16-0, West Holmes 7-3 and sweeping Clyde in a doubleheader on Saturday 4-3 and 15-9 for six wins since the last power poll. Rule-ruling Clear Fork to start the week was the perfect way to kick things off as Hope Barrett's grand slam capped off one of the best offensive performances of the year for the Rams. But the sweep over Clyde on Saturday was something that put the Rams in a position to grab a high seed in the tournament draw in a few weeks. Emma Stankovich had a huge home run in Game 1 and Olivia Schulz and Bri Bowles went back-to-back in Game 2 to set the tone. But the Rams are focused on the future and that includes games every day this week. They travel to West Holmes on Monday before their massive two-game series with Mount Vernon before traveling to Huron on Thursday and Norwalk on Friday. A No. 1 state ranking is nice to have, but the Rams can't get comfortable. They will set out to prove it this week.
2. Ontario (8-4)
The Warriors had a nice week last week as their offense produced 35 runs in three games with back-to-back wins over Clear Fork 12-3 and 13-3 and a 10-5 win over Plymouth to cap things off by going 3-0 against Richland County teams that were ranked No. 2 and 3 in last week's power poll. Taylor Mullins is really starting to find her swing again and in those three games, she has a total of four home runs with one in each of the Clear Fork games and two against Plymouth. She now has seven home runs on the year matching her career total coming into the season. And, she is a leadoff hitter. With Mullins setting the ton offensively and a three-headed pitching monster in Autumn Taylor, Joslynne Frazier and Eden Howard, the Warriors are going to be tough to beat the rest of the year. They have a big week ahead with Galion twice in Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference play before heading into the Wendy's Classic this weekend with three very tough games on the schedule. Five wins this week could see the Warriors sneak into the OHSFSCA Poll.
3. Shelby (8-6)
The Whippets went 2-3 last week sweeping Galion in their two-game MOAC series before falling to Clyde 3-0 and Huron 10-6 and 7-4 in a nonconference doubleheader on Saturday. Sure, the Whippets are on a 3-game skid, but they have all been very close games where a couple of key hits completely change the complexion of the game. In their 22-2 win over Galion in Game 2 of the series, the Whippets flexed some muscle with three home runs, one apiece from Demi Hipp, Maggie Bogner and Lexi Booker while Kendal Parsons had a 5-RBI day. Offensively, the Whippets are as solid of a team as it gets. They will try to continue their output at the plate with four big games this week against Lexington, Highland twice and Bellevue. The Whippets sit all alone atop the MOAC standings and if they can win four games this week, they put themselves in a prime position to play for a league title and earn a nice seed in the tournament.
4. Crestview (5-4)
The Cougars are enjoying a nice start to the season and last week, they took some major steps forward. After sweeping Western Reserve in a two-game Firelands Conference series, 5-1 and 15-5, the Cougars beat Mohawk 5-2 in an impressive nonconference game. They were then swept by Northwestern 12-11 and 13-1 in a doubleheader on Saturday to make them 3-2 in their last five games. Chesnie Patton had herself a week going 5-for-5 with two home runs in the 15-5 win over Western while also striking out 10 batters in the circle. In the first game against Western, she sat down 17. The Cougars are continuing to grow as a team and have what it takes to put together a special second half. They have a big week this week with two Firelands Conference series on the schedule against South Central and Monroeville.
5. Plymouth (7-4)
The Big Red went 2-3 since the last power poll and saw their Firelands Conference title hopes take a little hit in the process. After beating South Sentral 6-0 to start the week, they lost to the Trojans 6-5 in Game 2 before falling to Ontario 10-5 on Thursday. They rebounded with a nice 16-5 win over Lucas then dropped an 11-3 decision to Black River on Saturday for one heck of a roller-coaster week. Jaylin Branham has been playing out of her mind lately though. She hit a grand slam against Lucas to put an end to the game via run-rule and added another home run against Black River. Needless to say, the sophomore slump she suffered last year is long gone. Plymouth has Monroeville twice this week and New London twice for four very important league games. Plymouth sits a game back of Monroeville for the league lead.
6. Clear Fork (6-6)
The Colts went 1-3 since the last power poll after winning five in a row the week before. They lost to Madison 13-1 and Ontario Twice 12-3 and 13-3 before bouncing back with a 17-4 win over Bucyrus on Friday to salvage a victory. Katrina Rogers had two home runs against Bucyrus while Renee Anders had one as the Colts scored 17 runs on 13 hits and 14 RBIs as a team. Hopefully, that is a win that gets them back on track as they play Pleasant twice this week and Lucas once for three very winnable games that could send them running back toward the top of the power poll next week.
7. Lexington (6-7)
Lady Lex had an up-and-down week last week splitting their Ohio Cardinal Conference series with Ashland and then splitting a doubleheader on Saturday with Colonel Crawford. Lex lost to Ashland 6-5 before beating them 6-1 the following night. They lost 11-7 to Crawford before turning around and winning 12-0 in Game 2 of the twinbill. Grace Miller had a standout game in Game 2 against CC with three hits and three RBIs and that came after she had a hit and two RBIs in the win over Ashland. Lex continues to build depth in the lineup and has a nice week this week to build more with a game against Shelby, two against Mansfield Senior and another Saturday doubleheader with Bellevue.
8. Lucas (2-9)
The Cubs got in the win column last week sweeping Crestline in a Mid-Buckeye Conference doubleheader winning 6-1 and 10-9. They did drop a pair of games to Willard, 9-3, and Plymouth, 16-5, but to get a couple of wins is big for the Cubs. Marissa Caugherty had a big day against Crestline in Game 2 with a couple of hits and a home run and if she starts to get going, the Cubs can really gain some momentum. They play Mount Gilead on Tuesday, Buckeye Central on Thursday, Clear Fork on Friday and Smithville on Saturday.
9. Mansfield Christian (1-8)
The Flames also reached the win column last week going 1-5 since the last power poll. They beat Shekinah Christian 15-5 as Maddie Hockman went 3-for-3 and Brooke Badgley had two hits and five RBIs to lead the way. Noel Cline had the best pitching performance of her career allowing just one earned run on four hits with 10 strikeouts. The Flames are continuing to take steps toward their goals and getting a win is a great way to start the journey. The Flames play Crestline twice this week along with Mansfield Senior and Fredericktown to round out the week.
10. Mansfield Senior (1-5)The Tygers also got in the win column last week beating Central Christian 19-4. Makenzie Melvin has a huge day with three RBIs and four walks to get the Tygers the win. Mansfield Senior has Lexington twice this week before taking on Mansfield Christian on Thursday.
jfurr@gannett.com
740-244-9934
Twitter: @JakeFurr11
Last Week's Rankings
Madison
Clear Fork
Plymouth
Shelby
Ontario
Crestview
Lexington
Lucas
Mansfield Christian
Mansfield Senior
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Madison Rams are your No. 1 team in Richland County Softball Power Poll
