Young reaches milestone, leads softball team to victory, 3-2
Maria Young pitched a complete game and recorded her 200th strikeout of the season Monday as host Avon edged Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 3-2, in non-conference softball action. With their fourth victory in the last five games, the Eagles are now 11-12.
Young now has 206 strikeouts on the season and 394 for her career. She allowed one earned run on six hits, shutting out the Irish for the first six innings before holding on for the victory. The sophomore also helped her own cause at the plate with a hit and an RBI.
The Eagles were led on offense by junior Jocelin Ochs, who had a single and a double in three trips to the plate, knocking in a run, scoring a run, and stealing two bases. Avon scored all three of its runs in the fifth inning, as singles by Michaela Jankowski and Young were sandwiched around a double by Ochs, accounting for all three runs.
Avon recently was named the No. 8 seed in the OHSAA Division II softball tournament. On May 19, the Eagles will host the winner of the first-round matchup between No. 22 Nordonia and No. 24 Akron Firestone. The winner of that semifinal game will face the winner of the other semifinal between No. 18 St. Joseph Academy and No. 10 Mayfield. The district final will be held May 21 at Waddell Park in Niles.
Next on the schedule for Avon is a home matchup against Gilmour Academy on Wednesday.
