Softball Recap: Rootstown Comes Up Short

Rootstown extended their losing streak to three on Tuesday, dropping them down to 9-7. They lost 7-0 to the Maplewood Rockets. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Rovers have suffered since March 25th.

As for Maplewood, their win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games.

For Maplewood's part, Lexi Yannucci and Addison Marker were major factors while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Yannucci struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Meanwhile, Marker kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 12 consecutive appearances. At the plate, Yannucci went 1-for-3 with one triple and two RBI, while Marker went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Paige Clower, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Claire Urchek was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one run.

Rootstown and Maplewood should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Ohio Rankings. The Rovers (ranked 227th) will meet Kirtland (ranked 623rd) at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Maplewood will take on Bristol at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday with a big rank advantage (134 vs. 654).