The Buckeye Valley baseball team scored a handful of runs early and made them stand up, outlasting visiting Amanda-Clearcreek 3-2 in a Division II Central District tournament opening-round game Tuesday in Delaware.
The Barons scored two of their three runs in the first inning. Ben Spaulding started things with a walk and later scored on a line-drive single by Leo Wells.
Wells, who made it all the way to third thanks to a pair of Amanda-Clearcreek miscues, including an errant pickoff attempt, made it 2-0 when he scored on a sacrifice fly by Hayden Owens later in the inning.
The Aces sliced the deficit in half with a run in the second, but the Barons quickly answered with one in the third — an RBI single off the bat of Zach Schneider — to give starting and winning pitcher Dylan Lydy all the run support he would need.
Lydy allowed just two runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out two and walking three en route to the complete-game win.
Next up, Buckeye Valley will take on fourth-seeded Bloom-Carroll Thursday afternoon. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Bloom-Carroll High School.
Big Walnut 6, Groveport-Madison 5
The Golden Eagles wrapped up the regular season with a win, holding off the host Cruisers Tuesday in Groveport.
Big Walnut scored five times in the first before adding what proved to be the game-winning run in the fifth.
Groveport, meanwhile, scored one run in the fifth before making things interesting with four more in the home half of the seventh.
Henry von Hollen and Parker Imertreijs led the attack with two hits and two RBI apiece. Austin Becker also had a pair of hits in the win.
Colton Lee picked up the win on the mound, allowing just a run on two hits while striking out three and walking two in six innings of work.
Now, Big Walnut turns its attention to the postseason, which it’ll open up with today’s second-round game against 39th-seeded Newark. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. in Sunbury.
SOFTBALL
Stacey Walters singled home Meredith Thomas in the seventh to lead Big Walnut to a 3-2 walk-off win over visiting Highland Tuesday in Sunbury.
The Golden Eagles scored two runs in the third. Highland evened things up with single tallies in the sixth and seventh to set up Walters’ game-winning heroics.
Meredith and Alex Thomas led the Eagles from the plate, both finishing 3-for-4. Jojo Lucas and Jess Coletta were also solid, finishing with two hits apiece.
Walters earned the win in the circle, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits in three innings of relief.
With the regular season now officially behind it, Big Walnut will turn its attention to the Division II Central District tournament. The fourth-seeded Eagles will host Bexley Thursday in Sunbury.
Buckeye Valley 7, Marion Harding 1
The Barons scored early and often en route to a league win over the Presidents in Tuesday’s regular-season finale.
Buckeye Valley scored three times in the first before adding single tallies in the second, third, fourth and sixth.
Lisa Leienberger led BV with a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored. Nicole Peak also drove in a run.
Peak picked up the win in the circle, too, allowing just an unearned run on two hits while striking out five and walking three in seven innings of work.
Eighth-seeded Buckeye Valley opens tourney play against Whitehall-Yearling Thursday in Delaware.
Fairfield Christian Academy 16, Delaware Christian 1, 5 inn.
Kara Haskins had a double, but it was one of the Eagles’ few highlights as they saw their season come to a close with Tuesday’s Division IV Central District tournament setback in Lancaster.
BOYS TENNIS
Big Walnut 3, Hayes 2
BOYS LACROSSE
St. Charles 9, Orange 5; Olentangy 16, Western Reserve Academy 5; Big Walnut 14, Wellington 4
