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Spartans freshman ace tames Cardinals’ attack
Mooney’s early lead
did not hold up
By Dan Hiner
Boardman
The Boardman High School softball team shared Senior Day festivities with Cardinal Mooney on Thursday at Fields of Dreams in Boardman.
However, a freshman pitcher led the Spartans to a 7-4 win. Boardman pitcher Madison Lester found her groove after allowing two runs to score in the bottom of the first.
Lester walked four batters in the first, but didn’t allow a hit until Conchetta Rinaldi’s leadoff home run to right-center field in the third inning.
Lester allowed four runs on five hits and five walks. She struck out five in a complete game.
On April 6, the Cardinals (16-4) beat the Spartans, 4-2. The loss provided a little extra motivation.
“It really pushed us,” Lester said. “It made us want the win that much more and work that much harder and we played our best game today. We got the win. We worked for it.”
The Spartans (15-7) scored four runs in the top of the second to take a 4-2 lead. Rinaldi responded with her solo home run in the next inning.
Kathryn O’Horo reached on a fielder’s choice in the sixth. After a wild pitch and passed ball, she scored on a fielder’s choice by Vanessa Roush.
Boardman got two more insurance runs in the seventh on fielder’s choices by Alicia Saxton and Lauren Maughan.
The top of the Spartans’ lineup did most of the damage. The top four hitters all scored, with leadoff hitter Dana Haus going 2 for 4 with two runs scored.
“We got the speed at the top of the order. We get to the middle part of our order, they hit the hell out of the ball,” Boardman head coach Fred Mootz said. “I’m proud of these guys. They worked their butts off and we’re trending upward heading into the tournament.”
Catie Perry started the bottom of the seventh with a double and scored on a fielder’s choice by Rinaldi.
Alaina Francis allowed seven runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out three for the Cardinals in a complete game.
The Cardinals stranded seven runners on base, three in scoring position.
“Boardman works hard, too. Boardman’s getting better and better,” Cardinal Mooney head coach Mark Rinehart said. “It’s a hard-fought game and they just won this one.”
Rinehart saw the game as a tune-up for the postseason. The Cardinals will have another today against South Range in the South Range Softball Invitational.
The Cardinals are the fourth seed in the Division II Youngstown district. In their opener, the Cardinals will play Hubbard or Chaney on Thursday at Fields of Dreams.
The Spartans have won four in a row and will be the fourth seed in the Division I Solon district.
Boardman will play the Canfield-Twinsburg winner on Wednesday at Boardman High School.
“[Lester is] 14 by the way,” Mootz said. “I’ll march her out there against any team. I’m confident in her.
“Like I said, she’s like a grizzled vet. She goes out there, just throws strikes, gets me outs. She strikes out a lot of girls and I can’t ask for more out of her.”