AVON LAKE — Good luck if you’re looking for any holes in this Jackson lineup.
Truth be told, there aren’t any.
The hot bats the Polar Bears have been swinging lately make them a big threat to win a Division I softball state championship. A 10-7 victory over Mentor in a regional semifinal on May 27 leave head coach Adam Parker’s team just three wins shy of achieving that feat.
Watch Ohio High School Sports Live on the NFHS Network all season
The Polar Bears have scored at least 10 runs in all three tournament games and have hit double digits 16 times this season. Their bats can erupt at any time. A Kendall Adams walk-off grand slam highlighted an eight-run seventh that beat Medina 14-11 in the district final.
“I think we’re pretty confident,” Jackson sophomore infielder Remi Grooms said. “We’re swinging our bats as hard as we can. We’re hitting the ball where we need to and hitting gaps like we should.”
Eight of the nine players in the Polar Bears’ starting lineup had hits against Mentor. Jackson finished with 12 hits, including home runs from Abby Seders and Gabbi Williamson.
“We’re hitting from top to bottom which is amazing,” Parker said. “From 1 to 9 right now we’re stroking the ball. I think it’s a great thing to see. We have multiple people throughout the lineup who can put the ball over the fence. We’re also doing a really nice job of hitting with runners on. We’re not leaving a ton of baserunners on which becomes big.”
Jackson’s discipline at the plate sets up the offense’s explosive production. The Polar Bears approach at-bats with the mindset of being aggressive and smart.
A good example occurred in Jackson’s three-run second inning, With two outs, Grooms doubled on a 3-2 pitch that scored Kenna Blackstock and tied the game at 2-2. Williamson followed with a go-ahead RBI single after she worked the count to 2-2.
“We’re aggressive hitters, and usually at the start of the at-bat we swing at our pitch,” Willamson said. “Mine is inside, but it’s different for everyone. When we get down in the count, we make adjustments and find a way to get on.”
Parker said Jackson’s two-strike approach has been big across the board.
“We’ve been able to foul off the pitch we don’t want, wait for the pitch we do want or be patient to know that we’ll take the walk at any time,” he said.
The Cardinals scored twice in the top of the first for their only lead. Jackson’s Kylie Kristoff tied the game at 2-2 with a two-run double in the bottom of the first.
It’s a pattern Jackson continued. When Mentor scored a run in the third to get to within 5-3, the Polar Bears responded with three in their half of the inning.
“A good thing is we scored more than just (one),” Grooms said. “We just kept going with the runs and being smart on the bases.”
The Polar Bears had another response inning in the sixth. After the Cardinals scored three runs to cut Jackson’s lead to 9-6, Williamson led off the bottom of the inning with a homer.
Blackstock, Williamson and Addy Essig had two hits apiece for the Polar Bears, who will face Austintown Fitch in the regional final on May 30 at noon.
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On X: @mpopovichREP | On Instagram: mike_popovich | On Snapchat: popovich_mike | On TikTok: mikepopovich
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jackson bats erupt again in OHSAA softball regional semifinal win
Reporting by Mike Popovich, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
