Offense explodes across local diamonds in busy week

If you like offense, this was your week. If you’re a fan of pitching … maybe look away for a bit.

Marlington baseball

Marlington didn’t just have a good week – the Dukes had a “blink and you missed four wins” kind of week.

The headline grabber came Saturday, April 18, when Marlington erased any lingering drama against Green with a sixth-inning haymaker. Xavier Woods delivered the big swing with a three-run double that turned a 6-6 tie into a much more comfortable 9-8 win.

That wasn’t a one-off performance, either. Logan Smith was all over the place, collecting three hits in that one and then turning around to dominate on the mound earlier in the week. Against Ravenna on April 17, he struck out 11 over five shutout innings as Marlington cruised, 12-0.

Somewhere in between, the Dukes also handled business against Eastern Buckeye Conference foe West Branch twice because apparently once wasn’t enough. One win came the dramatic route (a 3-1 grinder on Tax Day), and the other via a 6-5 victory that featured more walks than a charity 5K. Either way, they all count the same in the standings as Marlington improved to 3-1 in the EBC.

Lake baseball

Lake (6-4) had a pretty simple formula this week: score runs in bunches, preferably after letting the opponent think they’re in it.

That worked nicely in the Blue Streaks’ final game of the week April 17 against Boardman. After spotting the Spartans an early run, the Blue Streaks did most of their damage in the middle innings and rolled to a 10-5 win. The game was closer than it appeared only because Boardman added four runs in the seventh.

Aaron Mitchell and Alex Quior did the heavy lifting at the plate, each driving in three runs. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

They also handled Perry with ease to start the week April 15, 11-1, behind a complete-game effort from Camden Schrock, who didn’t bother issuing a single walk. Efficient, ruthless and appreciated by those who enjoy a quick game.

The only hiccup came in an April 16 contest against Hoover, where hits were apparently a limited-time offer. Lake managed just two and dropped a tight one to its Federal League rival, 3-2.

Lake softball

There are big innings … and then there’s what Lake (8-4) did to Massillon Washington on April 18 to cap its week.

The Blue Streaks hung 24 runs in a 24-10 win, including a completely unnecessary (but highly entertaining) 14-run seventh inning.

Twenty-eight hits. Twenty-one RBIs. At that point, you’re not keeping score. You’re just trying to make sure everyone got an at-bat and see that the scorekeeper earns overtime pay.

Makenna Miller alone drove in seven runs and doubled three times, because why not.

Earlier in the week, Gianna Greathouse handled things the traditional way by picking up three hits, three RBIs and tossing a complete game in a 12-3 win over St. Vincent-St. Mary.

So yes, Lake showed it can win in a variety of ways.

Marlington softball

It was a tougher stretch for the Dukes (6-4).

They finished their week with a doubleheader on April 18, and against Tuslaw, Marlington scored twice in the first inning, but the bats cooled and the Mustangs slipped away with a 3-2 win. Chelsea Miller did her part with two hits and an RBI.

The rest of the week wasn’t much friendlier. Hoover put up double digits in the first game of that doubleheader, and earlier in the week, Dover limited Marlington to a single hit in a 7-0 loss, wasting a strong strikeout effort from Justine Doringo.

Track and field

While everyone else was busy counting runs, Marlington hosted its own invitational and made sure not to be rude guests at its own party.

The girls won the team title, piling up 123.5 points and setting the tone early and often.

Irelyn Johnson was everywhere – winning the 1600 and taking third in the 800 – while Olivia Callahan grabbed gold in the 300 hurdles and added a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles.

Grace Kungl snagged a win in the long jump and a third-place finish in the 100 dash, because specializing is overrated.

Relays? Also handled. The Dukes took first in both the 4x200 and 4x400, because if you’re going to win, you might as well do that in groups, too.

On the boys side, Marlington finished third as a team with 99 points – no shame in that considering the Dukes trailed only Howland (111) and Louisville (107) – and received a monster day from Cameron Evanich, who won the 100, the 400 and the long jump, and finished second in the 200.

That’s not a meet. That’s a personal showcase for the multi-sport standout.

Elsewhere, Gabe Minor (1600), Brady Griggs (3200), Blaize Horn (300 hurdles) and Andrew Frederick (discus) all landed in the top three, while relay teams chipped in with three top-five finishes, including a silver medal in the 4x400.