The Jackson-Milton Bluejays will face off against the Maplewood Rockets at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Maplewood will be up against a hot Jackson-Milton team: the squad just extended their winning streak to seven. The Bluejays beat Cuyahoga Heights on Wednesday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 14-8.
Katie Byers
| 05/20/26 vs Cuyahoga Heights | 8 |
| 05/18/26 vs Mathews | 6 |
| 05/14/26 @ Columbiana | 4 |
| 05/13/26 vs McKinley | 2 |
| 05/05/26 @ Mineral Ridge | 3 |
| + 4 more games |
Katie Byers made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run and two runs.
In other batting news, Jackson-Milton got a massive performance out of Charlotte Estes, who went 4-for-5 with four runs, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Emma Johns, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Jackson-Milton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cuyahoga Heights only posted a batting average of .310.
Meanwhile, Maplewood extended their postseason success on Wednesday against St. John. They blew past the Heralds 7-0. The win continues a trend for the Rockets in their matchups with the Heralds: they've now won four in a row.
Like Jackson-Milton, Maplewood also got a great game from a two-way player: Addison Marker. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. Marker has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in ten consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one triple.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Claire Urchek, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Samantha Krieg was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Jackson-Milton's record is now 19-6. As for Maplewood, their record now sits at 25-2.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Jackson-Milton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .395. However, it's not like Maplewood struggles in that department as they've averaged .364. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
