Girls Best of the Week: Ridgedale earns its first softball championship in this century

MORRAL — Ridgedale earned its first Northwest Central Conference softball championship and its first in the sport since 1999.

The Rockets (11-2, 7-0) won a pair of league games by a collective score of 46-0, beating Perry 19-0 and Ridgemont 27-0.

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Against Perry, Ridgedale got four singles from Lilly Ruth and two doubles and a single from Kenzie Delaney as Adyson Thomas added two singles.

Against the Gophers, Delaney drove in nine runs with a home run, two doubles and a single to score five times. She also pitched a two-hitter with 14 strikeouts and no walks. Ruth went 4-for-4 with three steals and six runs scored, followed by Alexis Burton with a double, three singles and three runs, Brenda Scott with three singles, three RBIs and four runs and Taylor Bouahom with a double and single and four runs.

In non-league play, they edged Arcadia 3-2 when Delaney singled in Ruth and Bouahom for the game-winning hit in the seventh inning. Bouahom had two singles. In a 14-1 loss to Pleasant, Bouahom singled twice.

It is the fifth league softball title at Ridgedale, joining the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference four-peat from 1996 to 1999.

Here are some other results from the last week in Marion-area girls spring sports:

More Softball

● For Pleasant in that victory over Ridgedale, Kylie Eastep and Quinn Wilson held the red-hot Rockets to four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. For the Spartans, Hannah Miller doubled twice, tripled and singled for five RBIs followed by a homer from Eastep, a double and three RBIs from Avery Malcom, a double and single for four runs by Faith Staley and three runs by Maddie Malcom.

● Pleasant also beat Marion Harding 11-5 with Eastep and Staley teaming for 13 strikeouts and five walks. Staley hit two home runs for four RBIs, while Peyton Simpkins doubled twice; Miller doubled and singled twice; Avery Malcom singled three times, and Wilson singled twice. For Harding, Kameron Biederman hit a home run and single; Destiny Brown hit a double and two singles; Raina Smith hit a double and single, and Addyson Myers hit two singles.

● Pleasant fell to Olentangy Orange 5-4. Katie Jordan drove in three runs in the fifth inning and had a double and single in the game, as Eastep and Staley combined for a seven-hitter with five strikeouts and five walks.

● Harding and Pleasant also went eight innings with the Presidents prevailing 8-7. Janaiye Braddy went the distance for Harding, striking out eight, walking four and giving up nine hits. Smith and Maycee Harper both singled twice for the Prexies as Harper had four RBIs. For Pleasant, Staley doubled twice and Simpkins doubled. Getting two hits were Jordan, Miller and Estep.

● Northmor shutout Crestline 18-0 with Shelby Cooper twirling a three-hitter with a walk and four strikeouts. Kallie Wright hit a triple, double and single for three RBIs to lead the Golden Knights. Others were Cooper with three hits including a double, Saje Miley with three RBIs, Madison Simpson with a single and double, and Raelyn Fulk and Kate Kissling with a double apiece. In a 7-2 loss to Danville, Kissling and Simpson doubled and singled.

● River Valley enjoyed a couple of close wins over Galion, beating the Tigers 12-9 and 7-6. In the first game, Samantha Woods hit two doubles and two singles, and Delaney Myers added a homer and single, while Bentley Auld and Addi Braun both hit two singles. Sidney Street struck out six with no walks in the win. In the second game, Street and Lanie Wooten combined to allow eight hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Woods homered and singled, and Olivia Spires and Myers each doubled. In an 11-6 loss to Lexington, Woods batted a home run and single and Myers a double and single.

● Cardington handled Highland 9-2. Genevieve Longsdorf doubled and singled three times for three runs to lead the Pirates. Others for Cardington were Myleigh Bishop with two doubles, Alexis Longsdorf with a double and single, Morgan Power with a double, Ari Simpson with two singles and three RBIs and Kayden Burchett with two singles. In a 2-0 loss to Danville, Cardington was held to three hits as Genevieve struck out 13. In a 3-2 loss to Fredericktown, Bishop had a double among their six hits, and Genevieve struck out five with a walk and eight hits allowed.

● North Union pounded out 26 hits in a 14-2 win over Bishop Ready. Reese DeCamp led with a 4-for-5 effort with a double and five RBIs, while striking out 10 and walking one in her one-hitter. Others with four hits were Kennedy Harrah, Kale Keigley, Kailin McElroy and Zoe Wedding. Wedding had five runs and McElroy four and Keigley and Ryleigh Rasey drove in three apiece.

● North Union scored seven runs in the third inning to beat Benjamin Logan 7-1. Emma McElroy tripled; Keigley doubled and singled; Rasey doubled; and Rylee Fox, Harrah and Wedding singled twice as DeCamp had a two-hitter with four walks and seven strikeouts. In a 6-1 loss to Ben Logan, Wedding went 4-for-4 and Harrah singled twice as DeCamp gave up two earned runs, two walks, six hits and 10 strikeouts.

● The Wildcats ended the week with a 14-1 win over Tecumseh. DeCamp, Wedding and Emma Padavano all homered, while Keigley tripled, and Sierraq Farrington, Keigley, Kailin McElory and Rasey all doubled. DeCamp also hit three singled and four RBIs, and Harrah scored four times on three singles. DeCamp pitched a two-hitter with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

Track and Field

● North Union's girls were seventh at the West Liberty-Salem Invitational. Making the top four was Gabby Lindsey who won the 400 meters in 59.94, was third in the long jump at 16 feet, 3.25 inches, and fourth in the 200 in 26.99. The 4x800 relay was fourth in 10:30.08.

● Gilead Christian hosted an invitational at Cardington and posting wins from the area were Gilead Chrsitian's Seraiah Campbell (800, 2:42.43; 3200, 13:20.07) and Ayranna Green (100 hurdles 19.71, pole vault, 6-6, 300 hurdles 56.57), Elgin's Delainy Boles (long jump , 14-0) and River Valley's Kennedy Rensch (shot put, 30-10; discus 93-5). Getting second were Northmor's Sarah Ambrose (100 hurdles, 21.5; 300 hurdles, 58.25), RV's Madalyn Gwinner (shot put, 30-5) and Elgin's Abigail Seiter (discus, 87-2). Elgin's Julia Kuba competed in the seated 100 (33.25), seated 400 (2:22.04 and seated shot put (12-9.5).

● Marion Harding and Highland competed at the Galion Kiwanis Invitational. Lydia Price led the Presidents with a runner-up in the 3200 in 11:24.93 and fourth in the 1600 in 5:18.46, and Bre Card was fourth in the high jump at 4-10. Camryn Miller led the Scots with a third in the 1600 at 5:18.18.

● Winning events at the Mount Gilead Invitational from the area were MG's Abby Leonard (discus, 95-10; shot put, 33-9.5), MG's Kimberly Staley (3200, 12:02.75), Pleasant's Taydon Obenour (100 hurdles, 17.55), Pleasant's Casey Kimball (400, 1:04.57) and Cardington's Magi Hallabrin (800, 2:26.75). Runners-up were MG's Natalie Waugh (100, 13.79), Northmor's Haylee Walker (200, 30.24), Northmor's Natalie Hunter (400, 1:04.94), Pleasant's Sarah Jordan (100 hurdles, 17.76), Obenour (300 hurdles, 51.65), Pleasant's Abi Wright (discus, 82-9) and Northmor's Macie Witherall (long jump 14-11).

Coaches and statisticians are encouraged to send their results to the Marion Star's Rob McCurdy at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, X @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

Vote: Marion Star Girls Best of the Week Performer Poll

● A new poll has been posted by the Marion Star and can be found at MarionStar.com and its app through early Sunday morning. The current nominees are:

● Pleasant softball's Hannah Miller posted a triple, two doubles, a single and five RBIs in a win over Ridgedale.

● North Union softball's Reese DeCamp pitched a two-hitter with no walks and 10 strikeouts, plus hit a home run and three singles for four RBIs in a win over Tecumseh.

● River Valley softball's Sam Woods hit two doubles and two singles in a win over Galion.

● Northmor softball's Kallie Wright batted in three runs with a triple, double and single in a win over Crestline.

● Mount Gilead track's Abby Leonard won the shot put in 33-9.5 and the discus in 95-10 at the homestanding Mount Gilead Invitational.

● Winning last week's Marion Star Girls Best of the Week Performer Poll was River Valley softball's Sidney Street who tossed a one-hitter with one walk and 10 strikeouts, plus a double and two singles in a win over Highland. Street earned 256 of 686 votes (37 percent) to win it. Other girls nominees were Cardington softball's Abby Ufferman, Elgin track's Addi Holland, Ridgedale softball's Kenzie Delaney, Marion Harding track's Lydia Price and North Union track's Gabby Lindsey.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Girls Best of the Week: Ridgedale earns its first softball championship in this century