Defending Division II state champion Riverside and West Geauga are headed to regional championship games after impressive regional semifinal victories Wednesday night, while Perry and Chardon saw strong postseason runs come to an end in hard-fought battles.
The Riverside Beavers rolled past Avon 9-1 behind another dominant performance from Clara Granchi, and West Geauga survived a late rally to defeat Elyria Catholic 8-6. Perry dropped a pitchers’ duel to Millbury Lake, 2-0, while Chardon fell 8-6 to Uniontown Lake after leading by five runs entering the sixth inning.
Riverside powers past Avon behind Granchi gem
The Riverside softball team continued its postseason march with a commanding 9-1 victory over the Avon Eagles in a Division II regional semifinal.
With the win, Riverside improved to 26-4 and advanced to Friday’s regional championship game against either Mount Vernon or Green.
As they have so many times during the postseason, the Beavers leaned on Clara Granchi, who dominated both in the circle and at the plate. Granchi tossed a complete-game two-hitter with eight strikeouts while also finishing 3-for-4 with a home run, double, three runs scored, and two RBI.
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Riverside struck immediately in the bottom of the first inning. Granchi led off with a single, Becca Tornow drew a walk, and Maddi Proud lined an RBI single to center. Maddy Kevern later added an RBI single, and Nica Dolce capped the inning with another RBI hit for a quick 3-0 lead.
The Beavers broke the game open in the fourth.
Sammi Granchi singled to open the inning before Clara Granchi crushed a two-run home run to center field. Proud later doubled and scored when Emma Wilhelm reached on an error, extending the lead to 6-0.
Avon scored its lone run during a double-steal sequence in the fifth inning, but Riverside immediately answered with three more runs in the sixth. Clara Granchi doubled, Proud delivered another RBI single, Wilhelm added an RBI double, and Kevern followed with an RBI single.
Proud finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Kevern also collected three hits and two RBI in Riverside’s 14-hit attack.
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Riverside | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | x | 9 | 14 | 0 |
West Geauga survives late rally to reach regional final
The West Geauga softball team is one win away from a state semifinal berth after holding off the Elyria Catholic Panthers for an 8-6 regional semifinal victory.
West Geauga improved to 22-5 and advanced to Friday’s regional championship game against Mogadore Field at Kent State University.
Elyria Catholic jumped in front with two runs in the first inning, but the Wolverines answered in the third behind a string of clutch extra-base hits.
Gabby Donofrio walked to lead off the inning and scored on Danica Talcott‘s RBI double. After Malory Lear singled, Dayana Malone ripped a two-run single to give West Geauga a 3-2 lead.
The Wolverines added another run in the fourth when Donofrio doubled and later scored on Talcott’s RBI single.
West Geauga created separation with a four-run sixth inning. Lely Percassi reached on an error before Donofrio hammered an RBI triple. Talcott followed with an RBI single, another run scored on an error, and Malone capped the inning with an RBI double.
Talcott finished a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Donofrio scored three times and added a double, triple, RBI, and walk. Malone drove in three runs.
Elyria Catholic rallied for four runs in the seventh inning with the help of two West Geauga errors, but Percassi worked out of the jam to secure the complete-game victory. She struck out seven.
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Geauga | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 3 |
| Elyria Catholic | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
Perry’s season ends in pitchers’ duel
The postseason run ended for the Perry softball team in a 2-0 regional semifinal loss to the Millbury Lake Flyers.
Despite the loss, Perry received another outstanding effort from pitcher Sophie Sivon, who went the distance and allowed just one earned run while striking out five.
Lake threatened in the second inning with runners at first and third and no outs, but Perry escaped the jam behind a fielder’s choice and consecutive strikeouts.
The Pirates nearly answered in the bottom half of the inning when Ella Bayless-Fahey and Mercedes Snell opened with back-to-back singles, but Lake escaped without allowing a run.
Lake finally broke through in the third on a solo home run to left field.
The Flyers added an insurance run in the fifth after consecutive two-out singles, and an error allowed another run to score.
Perry continued to generate opportunities late in the game. Haylee Reed and Arianna Rogers singled in the fifth inning, and Sivon led off the sixth with another hit, but the Pirates were unable to deliver the tying run.
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millbury Lake | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| Perry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Chardon comeback bid falls short after late Lake rally
The Chardon softball team appeared poised for a regional finals berth before the Uniontown Lake Blue Streaks stormed back for an 8-6 victory.
Chardon built a 6-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning after erupting offensively in the top half.
Sierra Taylor opened the inning with a double, and Mckenna Banville later walked. Gwen Boyle followed with an RBI double before Addison Hope delivered the biggest hit of the inning with a two-run double. Mikayla Lortie later added an RBI single to give the Hilltoppers a five-run advantage.
Hope finished with three RBI, while Boyle went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a run scored, and a walk.
Uniontown Lake answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth before exploding for five more in the sixth inning. A combination of singles, walks, and a costly Chardon error fueled the decisive rally.
The Hilltoppers made one final push in the seventh. Emma Anderson lined a two-out single, and Taylor walked to bring the tying run aboard, but a strikeout ended the game and Chardon’s postseason run.
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chardon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| Uniontown Lake | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | x | 8 | 8 | 1 |
Top Players
- Clara Granchi, Riverside: 3-4, HR, 2B, 3R, 2RBI; 7IP, 2H, 1ER, 8K
- Danica Talcott, West Geauga: 3-3, 2R, 3RBI, 2B
- Maddi Proud, Riverside: 3-4, 3R, 2RBI, 2B
- Gabby Donofrio, West Geauga: 2-3, 3R, RBI, 2B, 3B, BB
- Maddy Kevern, Riverside: 3-4, 2RBI
- Addison Hope, Chardon: 1-3, 3RBI, 2B
- Gwen Boyle, Chardon: 3-3, RBI, R, 2B, BB
- Lely Percassi, West Geauga: 7IP, 7H, 2ER, 7K
- Sophie Sivon, Perry: 7IP, 8H, 2R, 1ER, 5K; 1-3 hitting
- Emma Wilhelm, Riverside: 1-4, R, RBI, 2B
