NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio — Perrysburg softball swept a non-league doubleheader Saturday, defeating Youngstown Ursuline, 17-3, and North Ridgeville, 3-1, during the Prebis Memorial Classic at Victory Park.
The event, which typically hosts some of the state’s top softball programs, was moved to North Ridgeville when the first days’ games scheduled for LaGrange Community Park were cancelled because of weather.
Perrysburg pitcher Maison Gerrard was the winner against the host North Ridgeville, striking out seven, walking none, and allowing six hits and one run in seven innings. She threw 77 pitches, including 58 strikes, while facing 27 batters.
Perrysburg and North Ridgeville started by playing three scoreless innings. Perrysburg scored one run in the fourth, North Ridgeville tied in the fifth, and the Yellow Jackets scored the winning runs in the top of the sixth, in part thanks to a passed ball and stolen bases.
Morgan Hoverman was 2-for-4 and Ella Leonard, Maddie Von Sacken and Yesenia You had base hits for Perrysburg, Alyssa Bradford had an RBI, and Hayley Griggs, who reached twice on walks, and Yesenia You had stolen bases.
Leonard scored two of Perrysburg’s runs and Griggs scored the third.
North Ridgeville got its run in the fifth when Emily Sewell reached first base on a bloop single, Kasey Timko had into a sacrifice bunt, and Sewell reached third, scoring on an RBI single by Naomi Bottomlee.
Autumn Behlke was 2-for-3 with a double for North Ridgeville, Sewell was 2-for-3, and Allie Chinchar had a base hit.
In the circle, Behlke struck out six, walked three, and allowed five hits, but only two of three runs were charged to her. She pitched seven innings, threw 105 pitches, including 68 strikes, and faced 30 batters.
In Perrysburg’s win over Ursuline, the Yellow Jackets had 13 hits and took advantage of four errors, five walks, and they had four stolen bases and hit two home runs.
Griggs was 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, she scored four runs and had stolen bases, Leonard was 3-for-5 with a homer, double, stolen base, five RBIs, and she scored three runs.
Gerrard was 2-for-5, Cassie Plummer hit a home run, and Hoverman, Natalie Getchey, You and Riley Doria had base hits for the Yellow Jackets. Hoverman and Leonard also had stolen bases and Plummer had a sacrifice bunt.
The Yellow Jackets scored in every inning, putting up two in the first, one in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth, one in the fifth, three in the sixth, and seven in the seventh inning.
Von Sacken started in the circle, striking out seven, walking one, allowing five hits and one earned run through five innings.
Bella Click closed the final two innings, striking out three, walking none, allowing two hits and no earned runs for the Jackets.
For Ursuline, Lilly Ditz was 3-for-3, Mia O’Palick was 2-for-4, Mackenzie Smith doubled, and Brooke O’Polick and Gia Schiavone had base hits. Brooke O’Polick had a stolen base, but Smith was caught stealing.
Mia O’Palick started in the circle, striking out seven, walking four, allowing eight hits and seven runs over six innings in taking the loss. Ditz closed, striking out one, walking one, and allowing five hits, but of 10 runs, only three were earned.
