A heavy downpour of rain Tuesday night was not about to spoil the fun for a collection of softball all-stars from the Portage Trail Conference.
The Portage Stars and Akron City Stars sat through a half-hour rain delay during the third inning of the opening game of the Barney Ellis All-Star Fastpitch Softball Series at Firestone Stadium.
The Portage Stars held a four-run advantage prior to the rain delay. They added seven more runs when the rain subsided to win 11-0.
“I think it is pretty cool to play with girls you played against in season, and now we got to play together and got to know each other on a more personal level,” Kent Roosevelt junior Caiti Overholt said.
Overholt batted leadoff for the Portage Stars and had three hits (two singles and a double), scored three runs and drove in a run.
Field’s Kerrie Trautman, Roosevelt’s Megan Nichols, Norton’s Lauren Brogan and Rootstown’s Maiya Formick combined to limit the City Stars to two hits.
Nichols singled in Overholt and Field’s Xzandria McKinley in the first to give Portage a 2-0 lead.
Norton senior Torie Gable tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the second, and Springfield junior Marisa Lucco singled in her Spartans teammate Kassy Flores to make it 4-0.
“It is a tough league to be in,” Lucco said of the PTC. “It is good to have a competitive league.”
Overholt singled and scored on an error in the fourth inning to make it 5-0.
The Portage Stars led 9-0 in the fifth inning via four walks, one hit batter and one hit. Formick, Gable, Flores and Brogan walked in order and all four players scored. Southeast’s Emily Willis reached base after getting hit by a pitch and Lucco brought in a run with a single.
The Portage Stars concluded their scoring in the sixth with two runs. Overholt doubled in Ravenna’s Brenna Pooler and Springfield’s Sarah Stubbs doubled in Overholt.
“I take a lot of the teamwork and effort away from this game and hopefully it helps me toward when I play in college [at Mount Union and major in pre-med biology],” Gable said.
“I was familiar with a lot of these girls from playing against them for four years. I am glad I got to play with them and get to know them. They are all great girls.”
Suburban beats Metro
Wadsworth’s Sam Ryan had two run-scoring singles to lead the Suburban Stars over the Metro Stars 10-4 in Tuesday’s nightcap.
Medina’s Madison Tata knocked in two runs with a single and scored a run for Suburban and Copley’s Maddie Flasco scored two runs. Cloverleaf’s Katie Carino and Lauren Strebel and Tallmadge’s Taylor Raybuck each had an RBI.
The Suburban also featured runs scored by Carino, Tata, Copley’s Hannah Selzer and Emma Fish, Tallmadge’s Cassandra Jackson, Revere’s Anna Warren, Wadsworth’s Nicole Weaver and Nordonia’s Grace Schmeiser.
Walsh Jesuit’s Riley Ries and Katarina Davis each scored a run for the Metro Stars along with Twinsburg’s Nicole Markey and Cuyahoga Falls’ Rachael Knight. Walsh’s Lauren Cianciolo drove in two runs and Twinsburg’s Alyssa Carcioppolo had one RBI.
Tonight’s all-star game
There will also be an all-star game at 6 tonight with Summit playing Stark.
Summit Stars players: Amy Donze, Woodridge; Bobbi Langlois, Medina; Mackenzie Wallace, Copley; Kaitlin Morse, Our Lady of the Elms, Marissa Calise, Ellet; Heather Schneider, Woodridge; Casey Burns, Copley; Lizzie Fela, Copley; Lydia Sanner, Springfield; Alex Shaver, Stow; Vanessa Scoarste, Medina; Stephanie Little, Stow, Lilli Piper, Walsh Jesuit; Madi Wellendorf, Firestone; Paige Gravenstein, Firestone; Courtney Paul, Twinsburg; Karly Salter, Tallmadge; Quartni Whited, Springfield; Megan Brown, Twinsburg. Head coach: Dan Schneider, Woodridge. Assistants: John Schneider, Woodridge; Jessica Toocheck, Medina.
Stark County players: Lauren Gambone, Canton Central Catholic; Caitlin Gambone, Canton Central Catholic; Chandler Rice, Louisville; Emily Isla, Louisville; Jordan Monnot, Louisville; Brittany Flanigan, Louisville; Jayla Saibene, Perry; Morgan McLaughlin, Perry; Ally Farrah, North Canton Hoover; Sarah Wechter, North Canton Hoover; Jenna Lilley, North Canton Hoover; Grace Hutcherson, Lake; Katelyn King, Lake. Head coach: Chet Givens, Louisville. Assistant: Julie Boyes, Lake.
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
