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Monarchs cage the Wildcats, 6-4

RICHMOND — John Marshall’s hits found the holes, while Edison’s found gloves.

The Monarchs outhit the Wildcats, and John Marshall took advantage of some Edison miscues, as the Monarchs edged the Wildcats, 6-4, in a matchup of two of the top softball teams in the area Wednesday evening.

Trailing by three runs going into the bottom of the seventh, Edison attempted to rally. The Wildcats tallied one run and had the game-winning run at the plate, but a strikeout ended the threat and the contest.

“It’s like I told the kids: I thought offensively we had some really good at-bats,” Edison (7-5) head coach Spencer Bendle said. “For the most part, we were able to lay off the rise ball. Offensively, I thought we swung the bats well, but we did not bunt well enough. 

“We had runners on third with one out, and we had two pop-ups on the infield and a strikeout. Those three at-bats were crucial. I think we left runners on third base three times in the early innings. That came back to haunt us.”

After the Wildcats tied the score in the third, the Monarchs recorded the next three runs, with the first two occurring as a result of errors, while the last one scored on a wild pitch.

“I enjoy playing Edison,” John Marshall (1-1) head coach Ed West said. “They always have a nice team. Spencer does a good job teaching his kids how to play. They are fundamentally sound. These usually are good games. We played solid defense, and we got pretty good pitching.”

The Monarchs played a clean game defensively, while the Wildcats made two costly mistakes.

Ryleigh Morgan, who did not factor in the decision, started inside the circle for John Marshall, and the junior allowed three runs on five hits, while striking out three and walking one in three innings of work. Kadence Pettit came on to start the fifth, and the sophomore recorded the win. She allowed one run on two hits, while striking out six without walking a batter.

Pressly Meadows started the game for Edison. The freshman pitched six solid innings, but she ended up taking the loss. She allowed five runs on nine hits, while striking out three and walking one. Katie Fluharty came on in the seventh with runners on first and second with no outs. She allowed one run on one hit, while striking out one and did not walk a batter.

“John Marshall is a really good team,” Bendle said. “As the season goes on, they are going to get better, and so will we. We are getting better. It may not be showing up in the wins and losses column, but we are getting better.”

Nine of John Marshall’s 10 hits were singles. Pettit, the No. 3 hitter, and Dori Kins each went 3 for 4 with an RBI to lead the way. Pettit tallied two singles and a double, while Kins contributed three singles. Tessa Wise tallied an RBI single, Joe Mangino ended up with an RBI and Sophia Adkins, Megan Daugherty and Mareh Johnson all delivered a single.

On the other hand, six of Edison’s seven hits went for extra bases (five doubles and a home run). Hannah Christoff launched a long two-run home run over the fence in left, leadoff batter Maddie Brenstuhl tallied two doubles and an RBI, and Mychi Stewart collected a pair of doubles. Savanna Ankrom contributed a double and Kylie Babel delivered an RBI single.

Pettit and Kins plated runs with base hits in the first to give the Monarchs an early 2-0 lead.

Brenstuhl led off the bottom half of the frame with a double, and she scored on a two-out single by Babel, cutting the Wildcats’ deficit to 2-1. Christoff, who walked, and Babel were left stranded on the bases.

Stewart doubled to lead off the home half of the second and advanced to third on a ground out, but she was stranded there, keeping Edison in the hole.

After the Wildcats failed to score in the second, the Monarchs pushed another run across in the third to regain a two-run advantage at 3-1. Pettit started things off by reaching on a dropped pop-up, and she came around to score on a two-out single by Wise.

This time, Edison answered right back to tie the score.

Ankrom got the ball rolling by doubling to lead off the inning. After a strikeout, Christoff blasted a tape-measure home run, tying the score.

John Marshall regained the lead in the fifth. Pettit doubled, and Kins singled to put two runners on base. Mangino then plated Pettit with a ground out, putting the visitors out in front, 4-3.

The Monarchs added a pair of runs in the seventh. Three singles loaded the bases, but Fluharty induced a ground out to nail a runner at the plate.

However, a run scored on a wild pitch. Then, another dropped pop-up resulted in an insurance run, as the victors took a 6-3 lead.

Stewart started the seventh with a double for Edison, and the third baseman moved to third on a ground out. After a strikeout, Brenstuhl brought Stewart home with a double of her own, cutting Edison’s deficit to 6-4. Ankrom followed by getting hit by a pitch, bringing the winning run to the plate, but Pettit collected a strikeout to finish the game.

“We worked for that,” Bendle said. “We wanted to bring the tying run to the plate. I do not know how many runners we left on bases, but we left a lot in scoring position. That hurt us.”

UP NEXT

John Marshall: Tentatively travels to New Philadelphia today.

Edison: Tentatively head to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney on Friday.

John Marshall 6, Edison 4

J. Marshall 2-0-1 0-1-0 2 — 6 10 0

Edison        1-0-2 0-0-0 1 — 4  7 2

JOHN MARSHALL (1-1): Morgan (3IP, 3R, 5H, 3K, 1BB), Pettit (WP, 4IP, 1R, 2H, 6K, 0BB) and Mangino. Adkins S; Pettit 2S, D, RBI; Kins 3S, RBI; Mangino RBI; Wise S, RBI; Daugherty S; Johnson S.

EDISON (7-5): P. Meadows (LP, 6IP, 5R, 9H, 3K, 1BB), Fluharty (1IP, 1R, 1H, 1K, 0BB) and Evans. Brenstuhl 2D, RBI; Ankrom D; Christoff HR, 2RBIs; Babel S, RBI; Stewart 2D. 

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