LEXINGTON TWP. — Few high school softball teams have been playing better than the Marlington Dukes over the past few weeks. It was a trend that continued in a Division IV, Northeast 1 district semifinal at home against Cloverleaf.
Chelsea Miller and the high-powered Marlington offense won for the 12th time in its last 13 games with a 10-0 victory over the Colts.
“Things have really come together for us,” Marlington head coach Sarah Falkner said. “We came into this game well prepared and we came out strong and played well. Everything is clicking for us right now.”
Miller is one of the players at the heart of Marlington’s surge. She nearly hit for the cycle for the second time in less than a week. Miller went 3-for-3 (single, double, triple) with three RBIs and three runs.
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“She has a lot of natural ability but she also puts in a lot of hours,” Falkner said. “She doesn’t just rest on being a good athlete. She is always working to get better.”
The All-Ohio slugger holds multiple school records and has verbally committed to Creighton University. That success has not changed her.
“She’s a super humble kid,” Falkner said. “That really stands out. She’s a key leader for us. A lot of the younger players look up to her and she does not hesitate to help them out or encourage them. It’s hard to put into words how helpful it is to have someone that plays at that level but you can also count on for leadership.”
Working with the younger players on the team is something that Miller takes pride in.
“It’s important because they are the next generation here,” Miller said. “I’d really like to see the program continue to be successful after my class is gone so I am all for doing anything I can to help those kids carry on the tradition here.”
Miller and her team are setting a high bar. The Dukes have talent all over the field. Pitcher Justine Doringo pitched a two-hit shutout and launched a 3-run home run in the victory over Cloverleaf. Makenna Metz also had a solo home run and a double for the Dukes.
“It feels like we are in a groove,” Miller said. “We are going to keep working hard. We want to keep playing. We have a difficult game coming up and we are going to do everything we can to be ready for it.”
That next game will be against the No. 1 seeded team in the region. Marlington will play Elyria Catholic (23-4) in the district championship final at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at Dalton.
“It’s a big game against a tough opponent,” Falkner said. “The girls have made it to this game the last couple years and that is where the season has ended. We’d like to go further than that this year. The big thing I’ve been stressing to the girls is to just worry about us. We need to play our game and everything else will take care of itself.”
Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com
On X: @chickmanREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Record-setting Chelsea Miller leads Marlington softball in many ways
Reporting by Cliff Hickman, Canton Repository / The Repository
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