Runs come in bunches for Lake, Marlington and LCC

If there was a common thread across Lake, Marlington and Lake Center Christian on the diamond this week, it was pretty simple – runs were not in short supply.

Some teams rode their offense to big weeks. Others had to battle through it. Either way, the bats were thunderous.

Baseball

Lake didn’t waste time setting the tone.

On April 22, the Blue Streaks unloaded on Green in a 16-2 Federal League win, piling up 13 hits and putting the game away early with a nine-run first inning. Alex Quior led the charge with three hits, including a home run and a double, while Anderson Alacchi went even bigger, smacking two home runs and five RBIs in a game that got out of hand quickly.

One day later, April 23, things looked much more controlled.

Lake knocked off Perry 5-1 behind a steady pitching performance from Grady Widner and just enough offense, highlighted by Josh Lippe’s three RBIs. Perhaps not explosive, but certainly an efficient showing as the Blue Streaks improved to 3-2 in league play.

Then came April 25, and Lake went right back to overwhelming people.

The Blue Streaks (10-4) swept Benedictine in a nonconference doubleheader, winning 11-2 and 12-2. Aaron Mitchell and Drew Pribanich each homered in the opener, while Ty DeGeorge filled up the stat sheet with three hits, three runs and two RBIs. In Game 2, the offense didn’t miss a beat, spreading the production around with four players driving in two runs apiece.

Different styles, same result – Lake just kept winning.

Compared to Lake, Marlington’s week had a little more back-and-forth to it.

It started April 21 with an 8-6 loss to Minerva, where Brock Woods did everything he could to swing things the other way, going 4-for-4 with a home run. Still, the Lions had just enough firepower to hold on in their Eastern Buckeye Conference win.

Marlington’s response came quickly, however.

The very next day, the Dukes flipped the script with a 4-2 road win over Minerva, riding a complete-game effort from Xavier Woods, who struck out eight. Kaden Craddock added a pair of hits as Marlington evened the score in the season series and improved to 4-2 in the EBC.

By April 24, though, the momentum stalled a bit.

Lakeview jumped out early and never looked back in an 8-4 win, putting Marlington (9-4) in catch-up mode from the start.

It may not have been a dominant stretch of baseball, but the Dukes were competitive throughout and never far off.

Lake Center Christian’s week started oddly – with a rare tie.

On April 20, the Tigers and Central Catholic played to a 6-6 draw, each side pushing across a run in the seventh but neither able to break through after that. Brayden Ross led LCC with two hits and two RBIs in a game that never quite found a finish.

From there, things got much cleaner.

On April 22, the Tigers rolled past Manchester 11-0, using a six-run first inning to take control and never giving it back.

LCC (9-2-1) followed that up on April 25 with an 8-0 win over Tallmadge, collecting 10 hits while the pitching staff limited the opposition to just three. Back-to-back shutouts will play just about anywhere.

Softball

If the baseball side veered toward offense, softball turned it into a full-blown theme – particularly for Marlington.

The Dukes opened April 20 by erasing a 13-run deficit to beat Massillon 18-16 in a nonconference thriller. Yes, 13 runs. Aaliyah Williams and Chelsea Miller each homered and drove in four, capping one of the wildest comebacks of the week.

And that was just the beginning of the week.

Marlington next knocked off EBC foe Alliance 8-4 on April 21, then rallied again on April 22, this time coming back from an 8-1 deficit to beat Minerva 13-10. Chelsea Miller powered that comeback with a triple, a home run and six RBIs.

By April 23, it was business as usual. The Dukes handled Carrollton 8-1 behind two home runs from Miller, and then closed the week April 24 with a 15-0 win over Salem for their fourth consecutive EBC win.

Five games. Five wins. Marlington (11-5, 5-1) was the very model of efficiency.

Lake’s week took a different path as the Blue Streaks encountered tight games, late drama and a split of results.

The Blue Streaks began their week by walking off Jackson 6-5 in Federal League play on April 21, scoring three in the seventh behind Olivia Gross’ three RBIs.

Remaining in the Federal, Lake followed that up by dropping an 8-7 road battle to Hoover in eight innings on April 22. Olivia Draher had two RBIs and a run scored, while Aubrey Eisele scored twice as the Blue Streaks dropped to 4-4 in league play.

Lake then bounced back April 24 with an 8-4 win over Steele, powered by Draher’s home run and a 13-strikeout effort from Gianna Greathouse.

A narrow 2-1 home loss to Anthony Wayne on April 25 capped the week for Lake (10-6) – another tight one that just didn’t break the Blue Streaks’ way.

After a 15-7 loss to Central Catholic on April 20, Lake Center Christian exploded, registering a 22-4 victory over Medina Christian on April 21. The Tigers scored 11 runs in the second inning and eight more in the third in the innings-shortened game.

LCC then rolled to an 18-5 win over Akron North on April 22. Jillian Miller, McKenzie Mast and Olivia Gingerich led the offensive surge as LCC turned one loss into a high-scoring rebound. Lydia Stirewalt led the Tigers (5-8) with four strikeouts on the mound in two innings with no earned runs.