Danville entered the fourth week of the North Central Ohio Summer League with a 2-3-1 record and met the Northwestern (West Salem) Huskies on July 12, a week after splitting a doubleheader against them. The Blue Devils followed up that split on July 5 with a 0-0 tie and 10-1 win last week to run their record to 3-3-2.
The scoreless opener ended after six innings with the Lady Blue Devils connecting for only two hits. Jaylyn Smith singled with two outs in the fourth, and Addison Mickley doubled with one out in the fifth, but both were left stranded. Three Danville players drew walks, while Mickley and Smith each stole a base. Addy Bocock pitched three scoreless innings for Danville, allowing one hit and striking out four and Mickley followed with two shutout frames, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out one. The Devils drew a pair of walks in the sixth but couldn’t push a run across.
In Game 2, Danville got its bats going early, scored four runs in the first and never looked back. Kayley Sheldon reached on an error to short to start the frame, stole second and scored on a single by Kenzie Staats. After Staats stole second, Ruby Bartok singled to center to make it 2-0 Danville. With two out, Avery Mezie doubled to make it 3-0, and she later scored thanks to two wild pitches.
At 5-1 in the third, Danville added two more. Merista Brown led off the inning with a triple and she scored on a ground ball by Mezie, who stole second and scored after two wild pitches. The Blue Devils put the game away with three more in the fourth on a single by AlesaAnn Rainer, a one-out walk to Broegan Staats, and a two-out error followed by Brown's run-scoring double.
Kenzie Staats and Brown each had two hits, with Brown connecting for a double and a triple, as six players combined for Danville's eight hits. The Blue Devils also stole nine bases, with Sheldon, Kenzie Staats, Taylor Meade and Broegan Staats swiping two each and Brown nabbing one.
Three Danville pitchers held the Huskies to two hits. Kenzie Staats threw one perfect inning, striking out one, Bartok pitched two innings, allowing one run, one hit, one walk and struck out four, and Meade finished up with a perfect fourth, striking out a pair.
Danville faced off against Loudonville this week, with details unavailable at press time.
The North Central Ohio Summer League is an eight-team competition that includes Centerburg, Danville, Loudonville, Ashland Crestview, Johnstown, Northwestern, Norwayne and Mapleton.
