PREBLE COUNTY — County baseball and softball teams got off to a hot start this season with a combined 11-3 record on Opening Day on Saturday, March 27.
Twin Valley South baseball sweeps Dixie in doubleheader
Twin Valley South (2-0) dominated the Greyhounds, shutting Dixie out 16-0 in game one and allowing just one run in a 16-1 victory in game two.
In the first game, Gage Miller pitched all five innings for the Panthers, allowing no runs and striking out nine batters.
Levi Gearhart got South on the board with a two-run single in the first inning. Kasey Blair hit a two-run double in the second inning, and Brayden Burkett’s double in the third inning brought in another score.
Blair finished 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and four RBIs.
Brayden Burkett went 2-for-4 with a double, three runs and two RBIs.
Grant Ulrich was 2-for-4 with tw0 runs and two RBIs.
“I thought Levi had a huge at-bat for us in the first inning with two outs and the bases juiced,” South coach Cory Bassler said. “His timely hit allowed us to jump out in front early and from there, Gage really settled in on the mound for us and threw a really solid game.”
Burkett was on the mound in game two, going four innings while allowing one run and picking up six strikeouts.
After an early run by Dixie, Ulrich hit an RBI single in first inning to tie the game at 1. Later in the first, Logan Clark connected on an RBI single to give the Panthers a 5-1 lead.
Mikey Crews added a two-RBI single in second inning. Brayden Marker and Brayden Burkett each added RBI singles in the second inning. Kasey Blair RBI double in the second inning.
Burkett finished 3-for-4 with a double, three runs and an RBI while Ulrich was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.
Crews added a run and 4 RBIs while Clark was 1-for-2 with a run and two RBIs. Blair finished 1-for-3 with a double, three runs and an RBI
“After getting down one run in the first inning, [I] was proud of our guys for responding,” Bassler said. “After winning game one how we did, I was a little worried about us coming out flat and not ready to play in game two. I thought it was important to start fast on offense and we were able to do that. We gave Brayden a lead to work with and he did a good job on the mound of keeping them off balance at the plate.”
South hosted Tri-County North on Tuesday, March 30, and will play at home against Brookville on Thursday, April 1. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
Preble Shawnee softball cruises to pair of Opening Day wins
Preble Shawnee sailed to an easy 15-3 victory over Tri-Village to begin the season.
Taylor Murray got the scoring started for the Arrows with a three-run double in the first inning.
In a seven-run third inning, Katie Craft went yard for a home run while Emily Kennedy, Haylie Rogers and Kendel George all drove in runs.
Murray led the Arrows on the mound, going five innings and allowing five hits, three runs and striking out six.
In total, the Arrows picked up 11 hits with Bonnie Blevens, George, Murray and Craft each notching two hits.
Craft continued her hot streak in game two, finishing with 3-for-3 with four RBIs in Shawnee’s 17-1 win over Tri-Village. Craft drove in runs on a single in the third and a double in the fourth.
Craft’s RBI single joined Murray, George, Hailey Jenkins, Destiny Harvey and Sidney Lane who each drove in a run during Shawnee’s nine-run third inning.
Roni Dearth earned the win on the mound for Preble Shawnee, allowing four hits and one run over five innings while striking out six and walking zero.
The Arrows totaled 12 hits in the game with Craft, Jenkins, and Murray each having multiple hits.
Preble Shawnee hosted Madison on Monday, March 29, traveled to Madison on Wednesday, March 31, and will play at Milton-Union on Thursday.
National Trail softball edges out pair of Opening Day wins
National Trail (2-0) picked up a pair of wins over Madison in its season-opening doubleheader.
In a 12-9 win in game one, the Blazers were led defensively by Skyler Ward’s eight innings in the on the mound. She gave up nine hits while issuing no walks.
Offensively, the Blazers were led by senior left fielder Kayleigh Michael, who finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs and a home run. Ward was 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Jessie Gable was 3-for-5, Rylee Minner was 2-for-4 with runs scored and Jenna Petitt finished with three RBIs.
In game two, Madison Hathaway picked up the win, pitching five innings in Trail’s 4-3 win. J’da Jackson picked up the save, throwing two scoreless innings while registering three strikeouts.
At the plate, the Lady Blazers were led by Kayleigh Michael who was 3-for-4, Jenna Petitt who finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and Skyler Ward who finished 1-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored.
The Blazers traveled to Minster on Monday and Arcanum on Tuesday, March 30, and will host Bradford on Thursday.
National Trail baseball on wrong end of no-hitter
Dayton Christian junior Naaman Anderkin began his season with a bang, tossing a complete-game no-hitter as National Trail (0-1) fell 8-0.
The Warriors got off to a quick 6-0 lead in the first inning before adding two more runs in the third.
Anderkin struck out 10 Blazers, while Wyatt House took the loss for National Trail, going 2 1/3 innings while allowing eight runs on two hits and striking out one. In relief, Hollingsworth went 3 2/3 innings, giving up two hits with three strikeouts and no runs.
The Blazers began conference play Tuesday at Arcanum and will host Bradford on Thursday.
Other results
Tri-County North baseball (1-0) began its season with a 4-1 comeback against Wayne.
Cooper Cole pitched the first four innings for the Panthers while leading the team at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Wyatt Royer pitched the final three innings and was credited with the win.
Tri-County North softball (1-1) split its season-opening doubleheader against Dixie.
After dropping game one 7-6, the Panthers responded with an 11-5 win in game two, highlighted by a seven-run fifth inning. Sidney Jackson went yard for a grand slam, and Angelia Dupoy picked up the win.
Both teams played against South on Tuesday and will be back in action at home against Arcanum on Thursday. First pitches are set for 5 p.m.
Twin Valley South softball (1-0) defeated Dayton Christian in four innings, 22-3. This was the first victory of coach Ed Zinn’s career. The Panthers played against North on Tuesday and will host Dixie on Thursday.
Preble Shawnee baseball (0-1) fell in its opener to Tri-Village, 10-2. The Arrows played at Madison on Wednesday, will play at Milton-Union on Thursday and at Twin Valley South on Saturday, April 3.
