JERRY CITY — There were plenty of smiles as the sparkling grape juice and the cameras came out Monday afternoon at Elmwood High School.
After the Royals defeated Rossford, 14-3 in a game called after 4 1/2 innings due to the mercy rule, the Northern Buckeye Conference trophy was presented to the team, currently 12-1 in the league.
It was also senior day for the Royals. If those things not enough cause for celebration, it was the 300th career victory for head coach Matt Hoiles, who is in his 14th year at Elmwood. Hoiles was doused with ice water after a postgame interview.
‘‘It means a lot, especially my senior year,’’ said Elmwood’s Katie Bottesch about the league title. ‘‘We worked really hard for it.’’
‘‘It feels amazing. I haven’t participated in a game in softball where we have won a championship, so this feels awesome,’’ said Elmwood senior Tori Hillard.
Against Rossford it was the usual M.O. for the Royals — hit the ball all over the field and run the bases aggressively.
Led by Bottesch, Elmwood banged out 13 hits while scoring 14 runs. Seven different players had at least one hit in the game for the Royals.
Bottesch was 4-for-4, including two doubles, and six RBI to pace the Royals.
Also for Elmwood, Olivia Myers with 3-for-4, with a triple, and two RBI, while Madison Arnold and Hillard each drove in two runs and Chelsie Schmitz had two hits.
‘‘We just had to come out strong after the Eastwood game (a 4-2 loss last Thursday) and that’s what we did,’’ Hillard said.
The top three hitters in Elmwood’s order — Brittany George, Myers and Bottesch — were a combined 8-for-10 with eight RBI and 11 runs scored.
‘‘They’re the best team (in the NBC),’’ said Rossford head coach Tom Kralovic. ‘‘One through nine they have the best hitters ...They were going to hit the ball, I just knew that they were.’’
Hoiles was pleased seniors George, Bottesch, Hillard, Ragan Yarnell and Jenilee Myers were able to win the NBC title on their home field.
‘‘To do what they did to win the league outright, they came out and showed that they wanted it,’’ Hoiles said.
Rossford took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Lyndsey Skala’s RBI base hit.
In the bottom of the first, George doubled, Myers tripled and Bottesch doubled to get things started. Myers, Bottesch and Rebecca Harvey each had an RBI as Elmwood took a 3-1 lead.
The Royals scored five times in the second inning with Bottesch and Hillard each driving in two runs.
The cavalcade on the basepaths continued with three more runs in both the third and fourth innings for Elmwood.
In the third, Arnold drove in two runs and Bottesch had one RBI. In the fourth, Bottesch finished her afternoon with two more RBI and Myers drove in a run.
Skala hit a solo home run in the fourth inning, clearing the fence in right-center field, and Maggie Leahy had an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Bulldogs.
‘‘Them scoring early did not surprise me. Rossford has a good hitting team and Tom does a great job,’’ Hoiles said.
‘‘It was fun today,’’ Hoiles added. ‘‘Getting on the board and staying on the board every inning was very good for us.’’
Skala was 2-for-3 for Rossford with a home run and two RBI.
Elmwood’s Miranda Benschoter pitched a four-hitter, striking out seven and walking the first two batters in the game.
Elmwood, 21-5, plays Gibsonburg Tuesday afternoon at Bowling Green High School in a Division III district semifinal. Game time is 5 p.m.
Rossford is 20-7 overall and finishes 10-4 in the NBC.
‘‘I wanted the girls to watch (the postgame celebration) to see what it’s like to win a championship,’’ Kralovic said. ‘‘We were in it to the last game and everybody is back, we have no seniors.’’

ELMWOOD 14, ROSSFORD 3, 5 innings
ROSSFORD    100    11—3    4    2
ELMWOOD    353    3X—14    13    1
BATTING LEADERS
HITS — (R) Skala 2, Lahey, Jackson; (E) Bottesch 4, Myers 3, Schmitz 2, B. George, Arnold, Harvey, Hillard. 2B — (E) B. George, Bottesch. 3B (E) Myers. HR — (R) Skala. RUNS — (R) Keller, Gauthier, Skala; (E) B. George 4, Myers 4, Bottesch 3, Yarnell 2, Harvey. RBI — (R) Skala 2, Lahey; (E) Bottesch 6, Myers 2, Arnold 2, Hillard 2, Harvey. HBP — (E) B. George (by Longeway), B. George (by Gauthier); Yarnell (by Longeway); Yarnell (by Gautheir). LOB — Rossford 4. Elmwood 5.