LOUISVILLE — Three home runs. Two pressure-packed situations escaped. One dented car.
The Jackson High School softball team produced some memorable moments Tuesday, April 14 in an exciting 4-3 victory against a talented Louisville team.
Jackson (7-1) won with just five hits. It helped that three of those were home runs. Madi McGuire, Remi Grooms and pitcher Avery Wile all managed to clear the fence at Louisville. The impressive part was that the home runs were sprinkled throughout the Polar Bear lineup. McGuire batted seventh, Grooms second and Wile fifth.
“We try to spread our power out throughout the entire lineup,” Jackson head coach Adam Parker said. “I think it really makes us dangerous. We have been swinging the bats well early in the season and that continued today.”
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The Jackson lineup may have accidentally committed some light property damage.
Grooms hit hers so far that it nearly took out the windshield of a parked vehicle in the parking lot. The ball traveled over the fence, past the small grassy area behind the fence and bounced off the hood of a silver vehicle.
The power surge helped Jackson build a 4-0 lead and the pitching of Wile helped the Polar Bears maintain it. Wile pitched a complete game, allowed just four hits and struck out six. She allowed two earned runs and showcased her ability to navigate high-pressure situations against a tough Leopard lineup.
Wile got an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the second inning. She induced a ground ball back to herself that she threw home for one out and the catcher quickly threw to first base for the second out.
Wile showed her nerve again in the bottom of the seventh inning. Louisville scored two runs after working a walk and two hits. With just one out and the tying run on third base, Wile rebounded to strike out a pinch hitter and get a groundout to third base on the next batter to end the game.
“I just try to stay calm when I am in those situations,” Wile said. “I believe that your teammates feed off of your energy as a pitcher. If I start getting nervous or panicking, I think it makes everyone else in the field stay that way. If I manage to keep my emotions under control and stay calm, I think it helps keep everyone else in the field from feeling nervous.”
Sophomore Mara Mayle was 2-for-3 with two singles for the Louisville offense.
Pitcher Katelynn Miller was also a major bright spot for the Leopards. Miller entered the game in the third inning trailing 4-0 and did not allow a hit the rest of the game. Miller struck out nine of the 13 batters she faced to give Louisville a chance to come back.
“I’m really proud of what she was able to come in and do,” Louisville head coach Emily Brislen said. “She’s a really grounded person and she showed that she can get in the zone quickly. She doesn’t hesitate and she did a really nice job attacking a really talented lineup despite the score.”
Miller was also 1-for-2 at the plate with a double and a walk.
Louisville fell to 6-6 on the season. That record doesn’t tell the whole story. The Leopards have beefed up their regular-season schedule after reaching the regional finals in Division III in the OHSAA tournament last year.
“We’re playing some tough competition,” Brislen said. “We want the kids to play high quality opponents and go out and feel like they can compete with them. Our focus is on growing each day and we think this schedule is going to help us prepare them for the tough situations that pop up in the tournament.”
Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jackson softball power surge dents a car and wins a game at Louisville
Reporting by Cliff Hickman, Canton Repository / The Repository
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