Thursday, May 30, 2019
SOFTBALL
POLAND VS. JONATHAN ALDER
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Firestone Stadium in Akron.
What’s going on: Poland (29-0) is one win away from tying the school record for most wins in a season. The Bulldogs are looking for its first state championship 2011. Ashley Wire (19-0) is the Bulldogs’ starting pitcher with 80 strikeouts and at the plate she has 11 doubles. Outfielder Jackie Grisdale also is a state qualifier for track and field in the 4x400 relay. If Poland advances to the state final and the relay advances from Friday’s prelims, she’ll have to choose which state final she’ll participate in. The state final for softball is 1 p.m. in Akron and the relay final is at 3:15 p.m. in Columbus.
CHAMPION VS. BYESVILLE MEADOWBROOK
When: 12:30 p.m.
Where: Firestone Stadium in Akron
What’s going on: Champion is the two-time defending state champion and has won five titles since 2011 under head coach Cheryl Weaver. Pitcher Allison Smith is 15-0 and Sophie Howell is 13-2. Smith is an Ohio State commit and Howell is a Youngstown State commit. Champion has 19 straight tournament game wins.
BASEBALL
POLAND VS. GILMOUR ACADEMY
When: 5 p.m.
Where: The Ball Park at Hudson.
What’s going on: Poland (20-6) going for its first appearance in the state tournament since 2016, when the Bulldogs made the state semifinals. The team also was a state runner-up in 2015. The two teams share a common opponent in Jefferson. The Bulldogs beat the Falcons twice by scores of 7-3 and 8-2. Gilmour Academy (22-6) beat Jefferson 7-0. Poland pitcher Alex Barth has a team-low ERA of 1.81 in 50.1 innings pitched. Braeden O’Shaughnessy is batting .450 with a team-high 31 RBIs. Lancers pitcher Ben Demell is 9-1 on the season and is a Penn State recruit for baseball.
SPRINGFIELD VS. MATHEWS
When: 2 p.m.
Where: Strongsville High School.
What’s going on: Either Drew Clark or Shane Eynon will be the starting pitcher for Springfield (25-3). Eynon and Clark were the leading scorers on Springfield’s basketball team, which made a Division IV regional final. Mathews is 20-3 on the season.
Staff report