Road Runner Elite team starts season strong
COSHOCTON – The Road Runner Elite 18U travel softball team started the season strong with a second place finish at the Capitol City Showdown at Berliner Park in Columbus.
Starting pool play on Friday, Janessa Dawson (Tri-Valley) picked up her first win of the season, beating Cincy RBI 4-3. Melanie Clum (Sheridan/Ohio Wesleyan) allowed no hits through the final three innings to earn the save. Dawson also led the team at the plate with two singles and an RBI. In the second pool game against the Ohio Bulldawgs Elite, the Runners exploded with seven runs in the first inning. Shanna Reed (Toronto) knocked in two runs with a single up the middle and Riley Conkle (Coshocton) put an exclamation mark on the inning by rapping a grand slam homerun. Conkle hit her second homerun in the fourth inning giving her five RBI’s for the game. Clum earned the 8-2 victory and Dawson pitched two scoreless innings for the save.
On Saturday, the team suffered a blow in the first game when Clum strained a muscle which ended her weekend. Facing an undefeated Crush team, the Runners had another big first inning scoring four with Kendyl Hatfield (John Glenn/Marietta) knocking a two run single to lead the way. Hatfield also rapped a double in the fourth and scored on a Gina Fogle (Toronto/Wheeling Jesuit) single. Heading into the bottom of the final inning down two runs, Madison Johnson (John Glenn) got on base with a walk, and scored as Lauren Krystek (River View) reached base and took second on an error. Claire Warschauer (River View) followed with an RBI single to tie the game and advanced to second on the throw to the plate. Then Dawson ripped a single to score the winning run. She also earned the 8-7 win on the mound in relief of Clum. In the second pool game of the day, Dawson pitched a complete game one hitter against an undefeated Cannons team to earn the 2-1 victory. Taylor Gallentine (St. Clairsville) scored a run in the first on a Dawson suicide squeeze bunt and Reed scored the winning run in the second on a Conkle suicide squeeze. In the final pool game of the day, the bats exploded for 15 runs against the Kaos. Riley Conkle showed her versatility by pitching the complete 15-5 mercy rule game and also smacking a three run homerun, her third of the weekend. Dawson had three RBI’s and Kieran Johnson (Wheeling Park) and Fogle each had two.
Going into Sunday’s games, the Runners needed to win the final two pool games to reach the championship game. Playing the Miami Valley Xpress, the offense again came up big scoring eight runs in the first two innings. Dawson had two singles, and Hatfield, Reed and Fogle each picked up two RBI’s. Dawson also garnered the 8-2 win with Conkle throwing the final three innings to get the save. In the final pool game against Ohio Edge, Conkle allowed only three hits in five innings to earn a 4-2 victory. Dawson struck out four of six batters faced in two innings of relief to earn the save. Hannah Worthington (Tri-Valley) had three RBI’s to lead the offense and the Runners were off to the championship game to face the undefeated Buckeye Heat. The Heat scored three runs in the first three innings before the Runners got on the scoreboard in the fourth. Gallentine singled and was sacrificed to third. Warschauer faked a steal to second and Gallentine stole home on the throw. The Heat scored another run in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead, but in the bottom half of the inning, Madison Johnson worked her ninth walk of the weekend before Warschauer ripped a homerun to make it a 4-3 game. Fogle rapped a double in the final inning but was stranded to end the game.
Category: High School, Sports
