The Delaware Hayes softball team powered its way to a league-opening win Monday, hitting a pair of home runs on the way to a 10-4 win over host Hilliard Darby.
The Pacers (2-1, 1-0) trailed 2-1 until scoring three runs in each of the final three innings to seal the deal.
Amaia Daniel and Mallory Stonebraker, the two responsible for the blasts, combined for five hits, four runs scored and eight RBI. Daniel, who hit a three-run bomb in the seventh, finished 3-for-4 with five RBI and two runs scored. Stonebraker, whose three-run homer in the fifth gave the Pacers a lead, finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Alex Armstrong and Lexi Mattix also did some damage for Hayes. Armstrong finished with three hits and two knocked in while Mattix was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Haley Osborne picked up the complete-game win in the circle, allowing four runs (none earned) on seven hits while striking out four and walking three.
Pleasant 15, Buckeye Valley 12
The Barons rallied for seven runs in the final three innings, but couldn’t complete the comeback Monday in Delaware.
Pleasant led 4-1 after the first inning, 9-5 through four and 13-5 after the top of the fifth.
Buckeye Valley battled back, though, scoring three times in the bottom half of the fifth and four times in the seventh before falling just short.
Lisa Leienberger led the Barons, finishing 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Cora Hollingsworth, Logan Hatcher, Rylee George, Nicole Peak and Paige Millhon had two hits apiece, with Millhon adding three RBI.
BASEBALL
Liberty scored three times in the sixth to take a 5-3 lead, but Orange answered with four in the bottom of the inning to notch a 7-5 league-opening win Monday in Lewis Center.
Jason Schutte led the Pioneers at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. Tyler Brown, Cole Callaghan and Matthew Poole also had hits in the win, with Callaghan scoring twice and Brown knocking one in.
Mitchell Okuley and Mitch Milheim led the Patriots with two hits apiece. Okuley had two RBI to go with his hits.
Poole picked up the win in relief, tossing the final two innings after Brown allowed just two runs (one earned) on two hits and struck out five through five innings of action.
Preston Stanley picked up a no decision with 5.2 innings of work for Liberty. He allowed five runs (three earned) on four hits while striking out four and walking three.
Olentangy 9, Wsterville South 2
Cameron Kaiser finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and Nick Foy struck out seven through five innings of two-run ball to lead the Braves to a win in Monday’s league opener in Westerville.
Olentangy, which improved to 4-0 with the win, trailed 1-0 after the first inning before scoring in each of the next three to take a 5-1 lead into the fifth.
The Braves never looked back.
Cole Robinson had a pair of hits to go with an RBI and a run scored while Berto Carselle and Sam Nourse had two hits apiece.
Hilliard Darby 5, Hayes 0
The Pacers dropped their first game of the season, failing to get much going at the plate in Monday’s home and league opener against the visiting Panthers.
Darby scored a run in the second and four in the third to smooth out the scoring summary.
Dominic Byers had two of Hayes’ five hits. Mason J. Davis, Mason W. Davis and Gabe Phillips had the others.
Tyler Brown suffered the setback on the mound, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits over seven innings.
Tim Hales led Darby with three hits while Cory Brooks struck out eight to secure the complete-game shutout.
Also: Buckeye Valley 1, Pleasant 1 (suspended due to darkness in sixth inning); Delaware Christian 19, Torah Academy 4 (through three innings).
BOYS LACROSSE
Orange 16, Hilliard Bradley 2; Big Walnut 19, Jonathan Alder 4.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Big Walnut 9, Hayes 8.
