The Buckeye Valley softball team checked off yet another goal, dropping host Delaware Hayes 6-1 in non-league action Friday night in Delaware.
No matter the sport, when a BV team makes out its list of goals prior to a season it usually involves three things: winning a league title, doing some damage in the tournament and, of course, beating Hayes.
Check, check and check.
The MSL-champion Barons, who already won a pair of tournament games, improved to 22-5 with the win, starting fast and adding on late.
Oh, and they got some pretty good pitching from Liz Hamilton as well. All Hamilton did was go the distance, allowing a run on four hits while striking out 17.
She got all the run support she would need in the first two innings. Alexa Richardson singled home Courtney Beneke in the first inning to break the scoring seal before Beneke doubled home Tara Warnock and Anika Craft scored on a fielder’s choice to balloon the lead to 3-0 heading into the bottom of the second.
BV got another run in the third when Whitney Stuart scampered home on a fielder’s choice and, after the Pacers (18-3-1) got on the board in the fourth thanks to an RBI single off the bat of Kamilla Slayton, Lilly Irvine connected on a two-run double in the top of the sixth to smooth out the scoring summary.
Craft and Beneke, the first two batters in the BV lineup, both finished with three hits and two runs scored, with Beneke adding an RBI.
Stuart also had a three-hit night while Hamilton finished 2-for-4 at the dish.
Hayes, meanwhile, managed just four hits: a double off the bat of Judaea Wilson and singles from Slayton, Addy Tope and Brianna Richey.
Both teams are still alive in postseason play, and will return to action next week. Hayes will host Newark in a Division I district semifinal Monday at 5 p.m. while Buckeye Valley will travel to Heath to take on the Bulldogs in a D-II district semi Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Westerville North 7, Big Walnut 4
The Golden Eagles started fast, scoring the game’s first four runs, but the visiting Warriors scored seven unanswered, including four in the fifth, to rally for an OCC-Capital Division win Friday night in Sunbury.
Arielle Brown led Big Walnut with a pair of hits while Abigail Weiss knocked in two runs in the setback.
BASEBALL
OCC-Central champ Olentangy Orange punctuated conference play in style, blanking visiting Olentangy Liberty 8-0 Friday night in Lewis Center.
The Pioneers took care of business early, using a seven-run second to take control.
Connor Till worked a bases-loaded walk to break the scoring seal, Logan Shearer scored on a wild pitch, Sam Sells laced a two-run triple to right field and Caden Konczak then tripled to chase home Sells.
Matt Wolfe kept the big inning going with an RBI single before Josh Laisure scored on an error to make it a 7-0 game heading into the third.
Sells scored on a sacrifice fly by Konczak in the sixth to smooth out the scoring summary.
Laisure got the complete-game win on the mound, allowing three hits while striking out five.
Mason Onate, Brian Yamokoski and David Dielman had the Patriot knocks, all singles.
Delaware Hayes 14, Franklin Heights 1, 5 inn.
The Pacers broke things open with a 10-run second inning on the way to a lopsided league win over the host Golden Falcons Friday night in Columbus.
Hayes added single tallies in the third and fourth before plating two more in the fifth to cement the win.
Devon Pounds, Bryan Skedell and Turner Ashby drove in two runs apiece while Brennan Green walked three times and scored a game-best three runs.
Austin Dowell earned the win on the mound, allowing a run on one hit while striking out seven and walking two in five innings of action.
Also: Marysville 3, Olentangy 0; Canal Winchester 6, Big Walnut 5, 8 inn.
