Softball Recap: Utica Turns Things Around After Road Loss

There's no place like home for Utica, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They never let the Sterling Heights Stevenson Titans get on the board and left with a 10-0 win on Friday. The victory continues a trend for the Chieftains in their matchups with the Titans: they've now won seven in a row.

Ava Mazza

Batters Struck Out (Career)

05/16/25 vs Sterling Heights Stevenson	12
04/09/24 vs Lake Shore	7
04/11/25 @ Sterling Heights Stevenson	6
04/04/25 @ L'Anse Creuse	6
05/09/25 @ Anchor Bay	4

Ava Mazza made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

In other batting news, Rachel Durecki was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Gaby Vitale was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.

Utica's win bumped their record up to 10-12. As for Sterling Heights Stevenson, they dropped their record down to 0-20 with the loss, which was their 15th straight on the road dating back to last season.

Coming up, Utica will face off against Hudsonville at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The Eagles will roll in looking for their 17th straight victory, something the Chieftains surely won't give up without a fight. As for Sterling Heights Stevenson, they will welcome Warren Woods-Tower at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Sterling Heights Stevenson's pitchers better be ready for this one: Warren Woods-Tower has averaged an impressive 7 runs per game this season.