Solon earned a hard fought pair of WaMaC wins versus Marion in Solon Tuesday, June 9, postponed one day by weather. Game one was a wild affair with Solon racing out to a 5-0 lead behind four scoreless innings from junior pitcher Zoey Melloy.
Solon rallied in the third inning with two outs when junior Laeni Hinkle and sophomore Liv Nelson each singled. Junior Emerson Miller then blasted a ball to the warning track that bounced off the Marion right fielder’s glove to score the pair. Sophomore Beckitt Kabela followed with an RBI double and Solon had an early 3-0 advantage.
The Lady Spartans tacked on two more in the fourth when Ashtyn Swancutt’s (8th grade) single was sandwiched by a pair of Marion errors and a Hinkle RBI groundout. Before Solon could get comfortable, the Wolves mounted a comeback though. A pair of hits and a wild pitch plated two Marion runs in the 5th, but the 6th inning became a nightmare for the Lady Spartans. After a pair of hits, Melloy left for Hinkle who was coming off a career best performance against Vinton. Three hits and a pair of fielder’s choices later, Marion suddenly led 6-5. Solon went in order in the 6th and things got worse. A walk and two Marion hits pushed the advantage to 8-5 and a promising Solon start appeared to be wasted.
However, Hinkle led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and a Marion error put a second Lady Spartan on base. A wild pitch and a Kabela RBI groundout made the score 8-7, but with two outs and nobody on base Marion appeared to have a win in hand. Senior Dillon Ostrander would have none of that though and laced a single to center. Freshman Chloe Madura was hit by a pitch and Swancutt popped up between the pitchers circle and second base reaching on an infield hit to load the bases. Sophomore Riya Farlinger then had the at bat of the game drawing a nine pitch walk to tie the score at 8-8. 8th grader Kinley Strief then capped the rally with a game winning line drive single off the Marion pitcher’s shin allowing Madura to score and setting off a Solon celebration of a hard fought 9-8 victory.
Stats
Hits – Laeni Hinkle 2, Beckitt Kabela 2, Dillon Ostrander 2, Ashtyn Swancutt 2, Kinley Strief 1, Liv Nelson 1
2B – Kabela 1
RBIs – Strief 2, Emerson Miller 2, Kabela 2, Hinkle 1, Riya Farlinger 1
SAC – Farlinger 1
Pitching – Hinkle (W), 2 innings, 23 pitches, 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 1 walk. Zoey Melloy, 5 innings, 63 pitches, 5 hits 4 earned runs, 3 walks
Game two saw fewer runs but nearly the same excitement level. Miller took the mound and barely escaped the first inning. After allowing a three run homer and watching the Wolves load the bases with only one out, Miller induced a pair of groundouts to leave the score 3-0 Marion. Solon responded with a run as Hinkle was hit by a pitch, scoring later on a Nelson sac fly. After a one-two-three Wolves second, Hinkle blooped a two run single into right center to knot the game at 3.
Miller, who allowed seven hits and six walks, would only allow one more Marion run in a complete game win. The single run put the Wolves ahead 4-3 in the fourth inning. Solon would remain behind until the 6th. Ostrander would reach on an error and Swancutt followed with a single. Sophomore Beckett Kruse then knotted the game with an RBI groundout and freshman Nora Sanderson entered the game to hit in her first varsity at bat. The at bat will be remembered in the Sanderson household for years to come as she lined a single to right giving Solon a 5-4 lead. Miller would walk a pair but not surrender a run in 7th to seal the doubleheader sweep.
Stats
Hits – Ashtyn Swancutt 2, Kinley Strief 1, Laeni Hinkle 1, Emerson Miller 1, Beckitt Kabela 1, Nora Sanderson 1
RBIs – Hinkle 2, Live Nelson 1, Beckett Kruse 1, Sanderson 1
Pitching – Miller (W), 7 innings, 106 pitches, 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 6 walks, 1 strikeout
The wins evened Solon’s conference mark at 4-4 with a 7-5 overall record. Marion also went to 4-4 in the WaMaC and 9-5 on the season.