by Parma Heights, OH- Buckeye continues to roll in GLC play as they take down defending champions Holy Name 7-4 behind stellar pitching from Lilly Young.
The Bucks set the tempo early in the first as leadoff hitter Casandra Minarchick reached on a single. Fast forward to the third at bat of the inning, Madison Lichty smacked a ball to right field for an RBI single. HN pitcher Reagan Vavro then dialed in to strike out Kelsey Metter. With a runner at first, Kwynn Czerwony lined out to Sami Zabak at first, leading to a double play. In the bottom half of the inning, Young dominated by striking out Victoria Shiban and Zabak while forcing Aubrey Stephens to pop out. Heading into the second, Buckeye led 1-0.
Buckeye once again started strong in the second inning. Bella Melillo got things going with a leadoff base hit followed by Sarah Michaels being hit by a pitch. Then, once again, Vavro settled in and retired the next three Bucks in a row. Young would not stop her dominance in the second as she added two more strikeouts and a groundout from Kylee Blinky to retire the side.
Vavro was able to piece together a great inning in the top half of the third as she retired Buckeye in order. With the score 1-0, Bailey Garlow stepped into the box. All she did was send the ball sailing into the outfield and over the fence to tie the game at 1-1. While Katie Majores, Emmalee Majoros, and Shiban all went down in order following this, the Namers still had a tie game heading into the fourth.
With the pressure back on the Bucks, things started well in the fourth. Czerwony reached on a walk to get things underway. Vavro responded by striking out Melillo. This led to Michaels finding some grass for a base hit. After that, Vavro struck out the side. Through four innings of work, she had seven strikeouts. Stephens replicated Czerwony’s efforts but for HN. Zabak then furthered her impact on the game by hitting a homerun, giving the Green and White a 3-1 lead.
Buckeye was able to earn a run back courtesy of a Lichty RBI single. Young did her job on the mound in the fifth as she struck out both Majores sisters. It would be in the sixth inning that the floodgates opened for Buckeye. Vavro started off strong by striking out Melillo, but then hit Michaels for the second time. Young proceeded to belt the ball into the outfield for an RBI double, tying the game.
Kelsey Morano would give the Bucks their first lead since the third with an RBI double of her own. Minarchick continued the hit parade with an RBI single. Finally, Buckeye would score their fourth run of the inning on a wild pitch. Holy Name would get one run back as Blinky hit an RBI double. Heading into the final frame, Buckeye led 6-4.
Morano replicated her RBI double from the sixth inning in the seventh. This extended the Bucks lead 7-4. HN coach Tom Shiban made some substitutions in the seventh inning including having Alli Orzech hit for Emmalee Majoros. This decision paid off as Orzech sent the ball up the middle for a base hit. However, this was not enough as Young closed out the game to give Buckeye the 7-4 win.
HN and Buckeye are set to play each other once again on April 10 at 5PM in Medina County. With a win in that game as well, the Bucks would be in the driver’s seat to win the final GLC title.
Holy Name Key Players
#9 Bailey Garlow: 1 for 2, 1 HR, 1 RBI 1 Walk
#11 Reagan Vavro: 7 IP, 15 K’s
#20 Sami Zabak: 2 for 3, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Buckeye Key Players
#0 Madison Lichty: 2 for 4, 2 RBI
#1 Lilly Young: 7 IP, 5 Hits, 4 ER, 15 K’s, 1 for 4, 1 RBI, 1 Double
#23 Casandra Minarchick: 3 for 5, 1 RBI
Player of the Game: Lilly Young
