The Fairfield Lady Lions spent the weekend in Akron participating in the Akron Racers Spring Showcase Tournament and playing some very tough Division II and Division III opponents. The games were rained out on Sunday, but the Fairfield Varsity team was able to play three games and the Fairfield JV team two games.
Fairfield played the No. 9 State Ranked Division III team, the Sandy Valley Lions. The game featured two high powered offenses and seemed like a heavy weight boxing match. Sandy Valley took the early lead, Fairfield would fight back to tie the score 3-3 in the second inning. Sandy Valley would take the lead 6-3 in the top of the fourth, but Fairfield would score a run in the bottom of the fourth inning 6-4. Both teams were scoreless in the fifth inning, before Sandy Valley erupted with a big inning in the sixth. Fairfield was unable to answer back.
Megan Gragg (3 for 3) and Kaiti White (2 for 3) led the Lady Lions offense. Kaiti White (8-2) suffer the loss and Arrianna Ott picked up the win.
But the Fairfield Lady Lions would bounce back on Saturday afternoon with a 9-5 victory over Notre Dame Cathedral Latin. The Fairfield Lady Lions would pound out an impressive 13 hits in the game. Lyndee Spargur (3 for 4, 3 runs), Layla Hattan (3 for 4, 4 rbi), Kaiti White (2 for 4), Molly Thackston (2 for 4), and Madison Fox (2 for 3) led the offense. Megan Gragg picked up the win for the Lady Lions in relief of Kaiti White. It was Megan’s first appearance in the circle this season.
The Fairfield Lady Lions would again pound out 10 hits against Firelands Saturday evening, but their defense would commit an uncharacteristic six errors that would lead to five unearned runs for Firelands. Kaiti White (3 for 5) and Lyndee Spargur (2 for 3) led the Lady Lions offense. Molly Thackston would have the biggest hit of the game when she stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the first inning and drove a line drive to the right centerfield fence to clear the bases and give her team an early 3-0 lead. Megan Gragg suffered the loss, but Gracie Lawson pitched very well in relief allowing 2 runs, but no earned runs over 4 1/3 innings.
The Junior Varsity Lady Lions lost to Champion (Warren), but bounced back to defeat Howland (Warren) 5-3.
The Fairfield Lady Lions were ranked No. 7 in first Division III State Coaches Poll released Monday evening.
This week’s schedule.
04-19-18 R vs Fayetteville * 5:00
04-20-18 F vs Peebles * 5:00
04-21-18 S vs East Clinton 11:00 vs East Clinton JV 1:00
Ohio High School State Coaches Poll Division III – Week 1
1 Warren Champion
2 Wheelersburg
3 North Union
4 Westfall
5 Cardington Lincoln
6 Sherwood Fairview
7 Leesburg Fairfield
8 Wellington
9 Sandy Valley
10 Canfield South Range
Tom Purtell is the Assistant Coach of the Fairfield Lady Lions softball team.
