Lake rallies, Tigers roll as postseason drama unfolds

The postseason has a funny way of turning seasons into legends or heartbreak. Sometimes both in the same week.

For Lake, Marlington, and Lake Center Christian, the final days of spring sports brought dramatic comebacks, no-hitters, district championships, state qualifiers, and a few painful endings. In other words, what’s also known as a perfectly normal week in Ohio high school sports.

Softball

Lake’s season nearly ended on May 27 before the Blue Streaks decided they had delayed their offense long enough.

Trailing Chardon 6-1 in a Division III regional semifinal at Ashland, Lake looked to be headed for the offseason. The Blue Streaks apparently disagreed. They scored twice in the fifth inning, exploded for five more in the sixth, and stormed back for an 8-6 victory.

Olivia Draher put together a monster performance, going 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, three runs scored, and two RBI. Violet Seaman added an RBI and a run scored, while Aubrey Eisele doubled and scored. Gianna Greathouse battled through nine hits and four walks while striking out nine to earn the complete-game victory. Lake also drew seven walks, proving once again that patience is a virtue – especially when the alternative is making an out.

Two days later, Lake was one win away from the state tournament. The Blue Streaks trailed Mansfield Madison Comprehensive 2-0 entering the sixth inning and cut the deficit in half before ultimately falling 3-1 in the regional final on May 29.

Greathouse was outstanding again, allowing only four hits while striking out 12. Makenna Miller drove in Lake’s lone run, while Draher, Seaman, Eisele, Maggie Orr, and Mikayla Props each contributed hits. The Blue Streaks finished a memorable season with a 20-8 record.

Baseball

Lake Center Christian continued its annual tradition of collecting district championships the way some people collect refrigerator magnets.

On May 29, the No. 1 seed Tigers blanked No. 7 Grand Valley 10-0 to capture their fourth consecutive district title. Grant Coblentz was dominant, throwing a six-inning shutout while striking out nine and allowing only two hits. Luke Heckert went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored, while Nathan Bryant and Colton Smilek each doubled, singled, scored, and drove in a run. The Tigers improved to 21-4-1.

Lake baseball also enjoyed a strong postseason run before running into heartbreak.

The Blue Streaks opened district play May 26 by demolishing Tallmadge behind Josh Lippe’s five-inning no-hitter. Lippe struck out 11 batters and also contributed a two-run single at the plate. Only two Tallmadge runners reached base all game. That is less a baseball game and more a pitching clinic in full uniform.

Anderson Alacchi went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, while Drew Pribanich and Alex Quior each added RBI singles.

Unfortunately, baseball has a cruel sense of humor.

On May 28, Lake carried a 3-0 lead into the fifth inning of the Division III Northeast 1 district final against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. CVCA rallied for four runs in the inning, Lake tied the game the following inning, and the teams remained deadlocked until the 10th inning, when CVCA scored three times to pull away for a 7-4 victory.

Alacchi, Ty DeGeorge, and Max Retton each collected two hits for the Blue Streaks, who finished 18-9-1 while falling one win short of their first regional appearance in 19 years.

Marlington’s season ended May 28 in the Division IV Northeast 4 district final. The No. 9 seed Dukes scored twice in the first inning but could not sustain the momentum in an 8-2 loss. Marlington closed the year with a 17-7-1 record.

Track and Field

If making the state meet is the goal, then athletes from all three schools checked that box in style.

At the Division II regional in North Royalton, Lake’s Andrew Vensel placed second in the 1600m run with a time of 4:22.58 to punch his ticket to state. Rennick Darrah qualified in two events, placing second in the wheelchair 100m dash in 24.04 and second in seated shot put with a throw of 18-0. Justin Landes finished third in discus with a throw of 168-06.

The Blue Streaks also qualified the boys 4x800m relay team of Niko Koutouras, Liam Fritz, Ian Fababe, and Alex Schulz, which finished fourth in 7:57.28. On the girls’ side, Kaitlyn Josef earned a state berth by placing sixth in the long jump at 17-02.50.

At the Austintown Fitch Division III regional, Marlington’s Irelyn Johnson continued her campaign to personally corner the market on distance-running medals. Johnson won the 1600m run in 4:55.61 and the 3200m run in 10:36.08, earning two more trips to state.

The Dukes also qualified several relay teams. The 4x100m relay team of Quinn Cernansky, Kadence Bernard, Grace Kungl, and Olivia Callahan placed fourth in 49.87. The 4x200m relay team of Callahan, Kungl, Bernard, and Cernansky finished third in 1:45.14. The 4x800m relay team of Johnson, Brin Boyce, Carissa Miller, and Kari Smith placed fourth in 9:43.54.

Callahan also added an individual state qualification by placing fourth in the 300m hurdles in 45.93.

At the Division V regional in Cuyahoga Heights, Lake Center Christian’s Gianna Ritchie earned a state berth with a second-place finish in the 800m run in 2:13.01. The Tigers also qualified their 4x100m relay team of Lila Kirkpatrick, Mackenzie Amacher, Evelyn Greetham, and Nicole Hayes, which placed fifth in 51.36.

By week’s end, seasons had ended, district trophies had been collected, and state-meet tickets had been punched. Not a bad haul for seven days of work.