West Branch Warriors Outlast Rival Dukes 9-7

Alliance, OH- The top two softball teams in the Eastern Buckeye Conference squared off Wednesday afternoon, 24 hours after their match-up was postponed due to storms. While the weather was much better today, not to mention compared to when the two teams squared off in Beloit a few weeks ago, a lot about this game looked similar at certain points.

Both coaches put the ball in their aces hands with the Dukes looking to avenge the earlier season defeat at the hands of the Warriors. The Warriors once again pounced in the first inning, jumping to lead in the games opening frame. This time around however, the Dukes got out of the inning allowing only two, on a sharp single to right field off the bat of Addi Craven who was thrown out to end the inning trying to advance to 2nd.

From there, Marlington starting pitcher Justine Doringo settled into a groove, setting the Warriors down with no further damage the next three innings. The strong bounce back in the circle enabled the Duke bats to get on the board, first with a solo home run off the bat of Chelsea Miller in the 3rd and later a two run homer off the bat of Maddie Bailey, giving the Dukes a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 4th.

In-between innings, there was a pow-wow outside the Warriors dugout as Coach Chris Tucker and his staff rounded up the troops for a quick pep-talk. The Warriors responded accordingly, batting around in the 5th and plating 7 to take a commanding (at the time) lead 9-3. Among the highlights in the frame were Mati Hawk with a 2 RBI single, Klary McKay helping her own cause with a 2-run home run to left and Josie Milliken joining the home run parade with a solo shot to right center.

The Dukes wouldn’t go quietly however, chipping away at the Warrior advantage. They would score 1 in the 6th before bringing 3 runners home in the 7th, prompting a Warriors pitching change, with Ellie Tucker coming in from center field to secure the final three outs and slam the door shut on the Dukes comeback attempt. The victory moves the Warriors to 13-4 on the year and a commanding 7-0 record in the conference. The loss drops the Dukes to 8-4 overall and 4-2 in the conference, with their lone EBC losses coming at the hands of the Warriors.