The Danville Blue Devils took their 3-3-2 record into the final game of the North Central Ohio Summer League softball season on July 18 against the Loudonville Redbirds, who finished their regular season at 16-7. Danville was 18-7 in the regular season, but summer League records aren't always reliable.
“As far as the summer league goes, some teams didn't keep score, and we had some schedules reworked as often teams did not have enough players to play," Danville softball coach Charlie Duncan said. "But for Danville, we got a lot of good work in, and Danville had 23 girls showing up consistently.”
In its summer league finale, Danville smacked 15 hits en route to an 11-5 victory over Loudonville.
Danville opened the scoring with a run in the first on a one-out single by Jaylyn Smith, and a stolen base. After advancing to third on a ground out, Smith scored on a two-out line drive single by Alicia Humphrey to make it 1-0. In the fourth, the Blue Devils made it 2-0 on a leadoff single by Smith, another stolen base and a run-scoring double by Addy Bocock. Loudonville got one back in its half of the inning on a walk to Payton VanSickle and a single by Natalee Buzzard.
Danville added four in the fifth. Three walks and a single by Kayley Sheldon made it 3-1, two wild pitches pushed the lead to 5-1 and a run-scoring single by Addison Mickley gave Danville a 6-1 lead. The Blue Devils kept adding to the count as the game progressed and an eighth-inning home run to center by Emily Weckesser drove in Kenzi Staats, who doubled, to make it 10-3.
Loudonville answered with two in the eighth on a sacrifice bunt by Buzzard and run-scoring ground out to make it 10-5, but Danville added a ninth-inning run on an RBI single by Kendall Lepley to score Broegan Staats, who had singled, and the final was 11-5.
Smith and Sheldon each connected for two hits, and 11 Blue Devils had one hit each. Weckesser homered and Bocock and Kenzi Staats each doubled. Eight players drove in runs, with Weckesser plating a pair. Danville stole four bases, led by Smith's two steals, while Mickley and Abi Sapp each stole one. Five Danville pitchers combined for the win.
For the Redbirds, Olyvia Fenton, Alesha Felix and Buzzard each recorded two hits for Loudonville’s team total of six. Fenton doubled, and Buzzard drove in three runs. Fenton also stole two bases.
With the summer season over, the Blue Devils assembled one more time, July 19 at the 3rd annual Launch it for Louie hit-a-thon fundraiser at Danville’s D.A.R.C.I. Field.
