Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

AID — The competition got better and the bats kept swinging.

The Symmes Valley Lady Vikings faced some tough competition in the annual Valley of Thunder Softball Classic and it didn’t slow down their bats.

“It was a good weekend for softball other than a couple of games we couldn’t get in. There were a lot of good teams and good games,” said Lady Vikings’ coach Jeff “Odie” Estep.

“I was pretty proud of our kids. We hit the ball pretty well. I’m happy with that part of our game. We played good defense. (Kaitlyn) Payne had two good games pitching and Stephanie Brown had a nice weekend at the plate. The girls stepped up to the challenge well.

Symmes Valley (16-3, 11-0) began the weekend with a 4-2 Southern Ohio Conference win over the Beaver Eastern Lady Eagles on Friday.

Symmes Valley took a 2-0 lead in the third.

Brown doubled and Taylor Webb singled her home. Webb stole second and third and scored on a hit by Payne.

Eastern tied the game in the fourth but the Lady Vikings got two runs in the fifth.

Brown had another leadoff double, Webb singled and stole second, Hatfield singled in a run and Sierra Ross had a sacrifice fly.

Pay got the win as she struck out 12, walked four and gave up just four hits.

Brown was 2-4 with two doubles and Webb 2-3 with an RBI.

On Saturday morning, the Lady Vikings fell to Division I power Hilliard Davidson 13-1. Davidson is considered one of the top D1 teams in the state.

In their final game, the Lady Vikings cruised past Cincinnati Ursuline 14-2 in five innings.

The Lady Vikings jump in front of the Lady Lions 4-0 in the first key by Tiara Hatfield’s two-run single and Webb’s RBI hit.

Brown had a two-run double and Payne a two-run singe as the lead went to 8-0 in the second inning.

Symmes Valley got five runs in the third inning highlighted by a two-run double by Sierra Ross and another two-run single by Payne.

Payne picked up the win with nine strikeouts, two walks and four hits. She was 2-2 at the plate with four RBIs.

Brown was 3-3 with a double, Hannah Mays 2-2 and Webb 2-3.

Friday’s Results

SV 4 Beaver Eastern 2; Lakota East 10, Russell 0, Gahanna 13, Russell 1; Hilliard Bradley 13, Clearview 1; Hilliard Davidson 3, Ripley, W.Va. 0; Bishop Ready 16, Cin. Ursuline 1;

Saturday’s Results

Davidson 13, Symmes Valley 1; Clearview 12, Ursuline 4; Pickerington North 5, Alexander 1; Hilliard Bradley 10, Rock Hill 0; Gahanna 13, Eastern Meigs 0; Bishop Ready 11, Portsmouth West 1; Central Crossing 6, Coal Grove 3; Lakota East 6, Ripley, W.Va. 0; Symmes Valley 14, Cin. Ursuline 2; Davidson 4, Clearview 3; Rock Hill 5, Pickerington North 1; Lakota East 8, Bishop Ready 3; Coal Grove 8, Eastern Meigs 6; Gahanna 13, Ripley, W.Va. 2; Central Crossing 4, Portsmouth West 3.

Symmes Valley plays at Portsmouth Clay on May 2.

LINESCORES

Eastern 000 200 0 = 2 4 2

Sym. Valley 002 020 x = 4 6 0

Savanna Garrison, Jana Stockham (5) and Breanna Carroll. Kaitlyn Payne and Tiara Hatfield. W-Payne (K-12, BB-4). L-Garrison. Hitting-BE: Olivia Hatfield 2-4 2B, Anna Staker 1-4, Jaelyn Dixon 1-3 2B; SV: Stephanie Brown 2-4 rbi 2-2B, Taylor Webb 2-3 rbi, Kaitlyn Payne 1-3 rbi, Tiara Hatifeld 1-3 rbi.

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Davidson 330 25 = 13 10 0

Sym. Valley 001 00 = 1 5 4

Erica Buchanan and Cassidy Rowe. Kara Sanders, Stephanie Brown (3) and Tiara Hatfield. W-Buchanan (K-3, BB-0). L-Saunders (K-0, BB-0). . Brown (K-1, BB-3). Hitting-HD: Haley Goodburn 3-3, Cassidy Rowe 2-4, Morgan Coleman 1-3, Brooke Doty 1-4, Aubrey Rolon 1-4, Abby Dickey 1-3; SV: Stephanie Brown 1-3 2B, Sierra Ross 2-2 2B, Taylor Webb 1-2.

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Cin. Ursuline 000 12 = 3 4 4

Sym. Valley 445 1x = 14 16 2

Kristyn Aiello and Abby Elliott. Kaitlyn Payne and Tiara Hatfield. W-Payne (K-9, BB-2). L-Aiello (K-1, BB-3). Hitting-CU: Daily 2-3, Abby Elliott 1-2, Sarah Mehrle 1-3; SV: Stephanie Brown 3-3 2B r-3, Taylor Webb 2-3 r-2, Kaitlyn Payne 2-2 r-2 rbi-4, Hannah Mays 2-2, Kara Saunders 1-2, Caitlin Carpenter 1-2, Hannah Newcomb 1-1, Tiara Hatfield 1-3, Savannah Webb 1-1.