Buckeye routs Valley Forge 25-1, secures third straight CWC softball title
Buckeye (22-5 13-1) clinched its third consecutive CWC league championship Thursday, breaking the game open early and rolling past Valley Forge 25-1 in five innings at Nike Park. The win put the ladies into a tie with Rocky River at 13-1 in CWC play to share the league championship.
The Bucks set the tone in the first inning, when Faith Shaw doubled to left field to drive in a run and Eleanor Shaw followed with an RBI single down the left-field line. Buckeye then turned the game into a runaway with six runs in the second, seven more in the third, five in the fourth and five in the fifth. By the end of the afternoon, the Bucks had piled up 14 hits, drawn 11 walks and taken advantage of pressure on the bases to keep innings moving.
Sarah Michaels led the offensive surge, going 3 for 3 and scoring five runs. Her five-run day brought her season total of runs scored to 49, which ties the school record for most runs scored in a season. Faith Shaw finished 2 for 2 with two runs and two RBIs, while Addison Riggs went 2 for 2 with three RBIs. Mackenzie Anderson added four RBIs, despite officially going 1 for 1, and Kelsey Willis delivered a three-run single during Buckeye's seven-run third inning. Ava Piovarchy also had a two-run single in the second as the lineup produced throughout the order.
Buckeye's biggest decisive stretch came in the second and third innings. In the second, the Bucks scored on an error, a hit-by-pitch from Michaels, Faith Shaw's RBI single, Eleanor Shaw's sacrifice fly and Ava Piovarchy's two-run single. The third inning brought even more separation, with two runs scoring on an error before Anderson singled in two and Willis lined a single that brought home three more. Riggs later drove in runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to help finish off the lopsided result.
Olivia Piovarchy earned the win in the circle, allowing four hits and one run over five innings. The right-hander struck out eight and walked four. Behind her, Buckeye played a clean defensive game and did not commit an error. Juliana Melillo stole two bases, and the Bucks finished with eight steals overall, adding to the constant offensive pressure.
Buckeye will be back in action tomorrow evening at 5pm at LaBrae High School against Louisville for the District Championship.
