High school softball: Lilly Young perfect as Buckeye blows out Lakewood

YORK TWP. — Oreo ice cream cake — "The kind with the crunchy stuff in the middle," Lilly Young emphasized — probably never tasted so good. The talented freshman pitched a perfect game Monday on her 15th birthday as the Buckeye softball team throttled Lakewood 14-0 in a five-inning Great Lakes Conference East Division game. To add some extra crunchy stuff to the middle of that ice cream cake she was preparing to go home and eat with her family, Young singled, doubled and drove in three runs in three trips to the plate. "Her stuff was on point today," Bucks catcher Madi Lichty said after watching Young strike out 13 of the 15 batters she faced. "There's room for improvement always, obviously, but she's the Freshy Fire for a reason." If Young (8-2) can pitch better than she did against the Rangers (9-8, 2-3) — or even close to as well — the Bucks (13-6, 6-1) could make a nice tournament run. She threw 46 of her 63 pitches for strikes, went to a 3-ball count on just one batter and struck out the first seven hitters she faced on 27 pitches. "My screw, my rise and my curve were all really working today," she said. "I don't really pay attention to things like (a perfect game). I just go out and do my things. Honestly, I just go out there and don't worry about what I'm doing." The first batter to put the ball in play against Young was No. 8 hitter Marissa Showers, who bounced back to the circle on a 1-2 pitch for the second out of the third inning. The only other Lakewood batter to put a ball in play was cleanup hitter Ella Bowers, who bounced out to third baseman Shalyn Ohnhaus leading off the fifth. "Her control today was amazing," Lichty said. "She's been working up to this all season, and today she really shined." Young, who had a no-hitter but missed out on a perfect game due to an error during Buckeye's spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., now has 116 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings. More importantly, she's much more at ease playing varsity softball as a freshman. "These girls are seniors and juniors and they're a lot older than me," she said. "I just knew I had my defense behind me, so I wasn't really worried about it. Also, our offense is really good. We work together." The Bucks scored four runs in the third when Bowers came on in relief of Mia Carroll-Greeves, then added 10 more in the fourth. Those 14 runs were scored on 14 hits, zero walks and four errors, with 23 hitters coming to the plate. Lichty (2 doubles, 2 RBIs) broke the ice with an opposite-field double to right-center in the third and the floodgates opened from there. By the time the game ended, Cassy Minarchick (2 singles, RBI, 2 runs), Kwynn Czerwony (2 singles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), Bella Melillo (single, 2 RBIs), Sarah Michaels (double, RBI, 2 runs), Alexa Rundle (single, RBI, 2 runs) and Haiden Morrison (2 runs) all had gotten in on the fun. "I waited back for my pitch," Lichty said. "Normally I'm not oppo-taco girl, but today I was." Fully aware Young had a perfect game when she went out to catch in the top of the fifth, Lichty was not about to call for an off-speed pitch and risk the overmatched Rangers getting around on something. "It was all heat the last inning," she said. "I didn't feel the need to go to her changeup. She was just blowing it by everybody." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X. Buckeye 14, Lakewood 0 (5 inn.) LAKEWOOD 000 00 — 0 0 4 BUCKEYE 004 (10)x — 14 15 0 WP — Lilly Young (8-2) — 5 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 walks, 13 strikeouts. LP — Ella Bowers 1 1/3 innings, 11 runs, 6 earned, 10 hits, 0 walks, 1 strikeout. Lakewood (9-8, 2-3). Buckeye (13-6, 6-1) — Young single, double, 3 RBIs; Madi Lichty 2 doubles, 2 RBIs; Cassy Minarchick 2 singles, RBI, 2 runs; Kwynn Czerwony 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Bella Melillo single, 2 RBIs; Sarah Michaels double, RBI, 2 runs; Alexa Rundle single, RBI, 2 runs; Haiden Morrison 2 runs.