Tallmadge graduate Madison Rearick provided a spark as the leadoff hitter for the Suburban Stars on Monday in the Barney Ellis All-Star Series at Firestone Stadium.
Rearick hit a single and a double, walked, had two RBI and scored two runs to help the Suburban Stars beat the Metro Stars 17-3 in the middle of three games that featured players who were seniors, juniors and sophomores in 2017.
“It was cool that I was able to come together with so many girls from different teams and we were able to play as one in a game of softball,” Rearick said.
The Suburban Stars scored five runs in the first inning to take charge and never trailed.
Highland graduate Alex Chorba, batting second for the Suburban Stars, totaled a double, a single, three RBI and two runs scored.
“This game meant one more time to wear the Highland jersey and to play for this name,” Chorba said. “It was really special to come out with all the girls that I have been playing against for the past four years.”
The Suburban Stars extended their lead with two runs in the second, one run in the third, seven runs in the fifth and two runs in the sixth. The Suburban Stars, coached by Tallmadge’s Ed Seeker, Barberton’s Steve Kaisk and Highland’s Patrick Martin, banged out 16 hits and took advantage of six errors by the Metro Stars.
Medina’s Megan Aquino, Barberton’s Macey Ries and Kent Roosevelt’s Kelsey Titko scored two runs each for the Suburban Stars.
Wadsworth’s Kim Crookston totaled two hits, two RBI and one run for the Suburban Stars. Green’s Grace Randall and Emily Andrego, Medina’s Emma Bobey and Caiti Rhodes, Highland’s Brittany Fleischer and Kent Roosevelt’s Maia Packard each scored one run.
Fleischer, Titko and Tallmadge’s Emily Pratt pitched and combined to limit the Metro Stars to eight hits.
“This was my last time being able to wear this uniform, so doing well and playing hard for my team was important,” Fleischer said.
Hailey Eckleberry of Cloverleaf went 3-for-3 for the Metro Stars with one RBI.
Portage tops Akron 7-6
Waterloo sophomore Megan Cieplinski delivered an RBI double that scored Crestwood junior Sierra Gregal in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Portage Stars to a 7-6 win over the Akron Stars in Monday’s opener.
Crestwood’s Megan Cymanski, Field’s Sammy Eckhart, Waterloo’s Machayla Kehrer and Ravenna’s Hannah Welling provided the pitching for the Portage Stars, who were coached by Crestwood’s Luke Darrah and Southeast’s Mike Darrah.
The Portage Stars took a 1-0 lead in the second when Kehrer hit a single to score Crestwood’s Taylor Yoder.
The Akron Stars scored the next four runs to lead 4-1. Aleisha Fike of Firestone and Sasianna Meadows of North hit consecutive doubles in the third inning for a run. The fourth inning featured Garfield’s Camryn Woodley scoring on an error, Ellet’s Maddie Anderson scoring on a wild pitch and Garfield’s Alyssa Snyder scoring on an error.
A four-run fifth inning gave the Portage Stars a 5-4 lead. Cieplinski hit a double to score Mogadore’s Lexie Pierce and Gregel, Southeast’s Breanna Westover hit a double to score Cieplinski, and Gregal scored as a courtesy runner after an error.
The Akron Stars countered with two runs in the seventh when Firestone’s Madison Morrow hit a single to score Coventry’s Brenna Tkalcic, and Ellet’s Mackenzie McLeod hit a single to score Morrow.
Stark sinks Summit
Erin Krupar of Canton Central Catholic smacked a three-run home run over the left field fence in the fifth inning of the Stark Stars’ 7-4 win over the Summit Stars in the final game.
The Stark Stars scored three runs in the third on RBI doubles by Louisville’s Kaycee Ollis and Marlington’s Olivia Powers and an RBI single by Sandy Valley’s Meg Otte. Lexi Betz of East Canton made it 4-0 in the fourth when she scored on an error.
The Summit Stars scored on a two-run single by Green’s Hannah Pizzino in the fifth, an RBI single by Norton’s Jordan Bird in the sixth and a sacrifice fly by Hoban’s Laney Jones in the seventh.
Coaches Scott Daugherty of Perry and Cortney Geiger of Sandy Valley called on four pitchers — Louisville’s Sarah Cantley, North Canton Hoover’s Grace Vesco, GlenOak’s Olivia Otani and Perry’s Makenna Durieux — to limit the Summit Stars to eight hits.
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the #ABJVarsity high school blog at www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.
