The Lady Tigers piled on the runs and took out Crestwood twice on opening day. The Tigers took the first game 16-5 (F/5) and the second 11-1 (F/6), ending both games with the mercy rule.
Game One
Massillon freshman pitcher Nevaeh Drennen ran into some trouble early in the 1st inning, throwing two wild pitches while walking two batters and hitting one. She got out of the jam after forcing a popout to the second baseman and proceeded to pitch an excellent game the rest of the way. She started off the Tigers’ offense by knocking the ball into the outfield for a single to lead off the second half of the inning. Despite moving her up to second on a bunt, the Tigers came up empty in their first try. Drennen set the Red Devils down 1-2-3 in the top of the 2nd, snatching a line drive and striking out two. The Tigers started their scoring in the bottom of the 2nd. Freshman Rylee Adams singled and freshman Abby Jenkins pounded a high home run over the fence in left and out of the ballpark onto 20th Street. Massillon took the 2-0 lead into the 3rd despite a double from the Red Devils that dropped just beside the center fielder’s glove. As the wind picked up and sleet came down, the Tigers’ hitting started rolling. Drennen walked to lead off the Tigers’ second, Jaryn Wolff singled, and Shelby Decker pulled the ball past the infielders for an RBI single to make the score 3-0. Rylee Adams drilled a double down the left field line to score two more. Amanda Watkins looped a ball just over the second baseman’s head for an RBI single and a 6-0 lead. Abby Jenkins put a ball over the third baseman’s head and Aubrey Irwin followed with an RBI single down the third base line to increase the lead to 7-0. The top of the 4th was nearly a disaster for the Tigers as unforced errors led to a Crestwood rally. Drennen struck out the leadoff hitter and gave up a single to the second batter. A ground ball in front of the mound ended up in foul territory down the right field line; the Tigers were unable to get the ball back to the plate in time and both the runner and batter scored. A walk was followed by another throwing error that allowed a third run to score for the Red Devils. Yet another throwing error helped a fourth run cross home for the Red Devils. Following a strikeout for the second out in the inning, an errant pickoff attempt sailed into the outfield, allowing a fifth run to score. The Tigers seemed destined to give up the lead after a walk and a dropped strikeout put runners at second and third, but pitcher Neveah Drennen stayed cool and struck out a Crestwood batter to end the inning. Massillon’s offense made sure that there was no doubt and quickly increased the Tigers’ lead once again. Jaryn Wolff led off the inning and hooked a ball just foul near the left field foul pole. She left no doubt on the next pitch and whacked it over the fence in left center for a solo home run. Ava Geier sent a looping pop into center for a base hit, and Rylee Adams cranked a bomb to left for a two-run homer. An Amanda Watkins single was followed by a groundout. A second grounder was fielded and thrown off the first baseman’s glove, allowing an eleventh run to score for Massillon. The Tigers were not done scoring yet. Irwin walked, Maranda Dunn drove in two with a double, Wolff drove Dunn in with a single, a passed ball scored a run, and a single from Ashley Evans drove in another run. When the dust of the 4th inning cleared, the score stood at Massillon 16 – Crestwood 5. The Red Devils had one more go at it and came up empty as Drennen set down two batters and ended the ballgame with a strikeout. With the run rule in place the game was called after 4 1/2 innings with a 16-5 score in favor of the Tigers.
A Few Stats
Neveah Drennen struck out 10 batters in the first game. She gave up 5 runs but all of them were unearned.
Rylee Adams, Jaryn Wolff, and Abby Jenkins all hit home runs. Adams drove in 4 runs, Wolff, Jenkins, and Dunn drove in 2, and Decker, Irwin, Watkins, and Shelby each had 1 RBI. Two runs were scored on errors (catching error and passed ball).
Game Two
The Tigers were ready to go at it again after a short break. Ashley Evans took the mound for the Tigers; she hit the first batter but catcher Abby Jenkins gunned her down at second on a steal attempt. A single was followed by a fielder’s choice and a force to end the inning. Massillon was quick to jump on top once again. After a flyout to start the inning, Jaryn Wolff walked. Ava Geier singled and Shelby Decker knocked Wolff in with an RBI double. A fielding error at first allowed Amanda Watkins to reach and two more runs to score. The next inning resulted in no runs for the Red Devils as Rylee Adams made a great pick at first and a single did no damage. The Tigers did some damage in their half of the 2nd. Jenkins hooked a ball over first base that dropped near the foul line for a single. She proceeded to steal second and score on a groundout to put the Massillon lead at 4-0. The Tigers got out of a jam (runners on second and third) the next inning and continued to pile on the runs. Their 3rd consisted of a two out rally; a pop to second allowed a batter to reach and advance on a groundout. With two outs, Bailee Lamp poked an RBI single past the shortstop for an RBI. Jenkins singled and Aubrey Irwin reached on an error that allowed Lamp to score from third. Nevaeh Drennen got in on the action with an RBI single that was followed by an RBI single from Wolff. After 3, the Tigers led 8-0. A sliding catch in right field by Watkins provided the first out for the Massillon defense, and despite an error and a pinch hit single, Evans came out of the inning cleanly. Rylee Adams hit a two-bagger but Massillon did not score in the 4th. The 5th went by quickly with no damage done by either side. A single and an error followed by a double led to the first earned run on the day for Massillon’s pitching staff. Evans stranded two runners in scoring position and limited the the damage to one run. The Tigers were eager to end the contest and jumped all over the ball in the 6th. Jaryn Wolff opened the slate with a single. A groundout and a steal moved her to third, and she jogged home on a fielding error for the Tigers’ ninth run. Rylee Adams doubled home a run, and following a walk she sprinted home on a wild pitch. This score invoked the run rule and the Tigers took the sweep with an 11-1 victory.
A Few Stats
Ashley Evans pitched an excellent six innings, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits.
Shelby, Lamp, Drennen, Wolff, and Adams each drove in 1 run. Four runs were scored on errors, 1 on a fielders choice, and 1 on a wild pitch.
Highlights and Photos
