The Wadsworth Varsity Softball team won their first game in the State Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Lady Grizzlies, seeded sixth in the Barberton District, defeated 8th seeded Hudson 1-0 in 10 innings.
Junior pitcher Grace Zarley did the job on the mound and in the batters’ box to keep to keep the Lady Grizzlies season alive. In the circle, Zarley put 10 straight shutout innings on the scoreboard. On offense, Zarley had two hits and drove in the game winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 10th.
“Every single pitch Grace got stronger today,” said Wadsworth head coach Michelle DeAngelis. “She didn’t let anything rattle her. She took one pitch at a time and one batter at a time.”
DeAngelis was also impressed with approach Grace had at bat. “She was hitting the ball hard on the ground and she hit it hard to the outfield in the last inning. It was deep enough to score the game winning run.”
Grace had a rather simple approach when she was at bat in the 10th.
“I tried to hit it as hard as I could and as far as I could,” Zarley said.
The road in the state tournament doesn’t get any easier for Wadsworth. In the district semi-finals on Thursday, the Lady Grizzlies take on the top seeded team in the district, Walsh Jesuit. Game time at Barberton High School on May 21 is 4:30 p.m.
BASEBALL
It was Senior Day for the Wadsworth Varsity baseball team and they completed their regular season in fine fashion as they defeated Suburban League foe Tallmadge 10-0 in a run-rule game stopped in the 5th inning.
Wadsworth, Suburban League Champions for a second consecutive year, finished conference play with a perfect 14-0 mark. Overall, Wadsworth’s record is 25-0.
“It was a day for our 12 seniors. We talked about it before the game. I told them to go out there and have some fun, but play the game the way we know how” said Wadsworth head coach Greg Pickard.
The Grizzlies did that in the first two innings. Wadsworth scored three in the first and five more in the second. The two runs they scored in the fifth ended the game.
Senior Dylan Palidar hit a home run in the second inning to pace the offense.
The game ended when senior Kyle Pennington was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Senior Aaron George picked up the win.
“I don’t think Aaron had his best stuff today, but he battled and we made the plays behind him when we needed to,” said Pickard.
The Grizzlies resume play in the State Baseball tournament on Tuesday at Hudson High School when they play Brecksville. Game time on Tuesday is 7 p.m.
