High school softball: Medina continues winning ways by beating Strongsville

MEDINA — The Medina softball team raced out of the Greater Cleveland Conference starting gates Monday with a 12-5 victory over rival Strongsville. The Bees (6-0, 1-0) scored three runs in each of the first two innings and led 10-1 after three. "It's so important to get a jump right off the start," Kelsey Swinko said. "To get that momentum going is kind of a chain reaction. Once one person does something good, it hypes us up and helps us keep going throughout the game." Swinko (3 singles) scored the final run of the first inning on a single by Hannah Neal (2 singles, 3 RBIs). Bailey McCoy started the inning with a triple just out of the reach of center fielder Emmy Brian and scored on the first of four hits by Ryann Allar (2 runs, 3 RBIs), then Allar scored on a throwing error by catcher Stacey Mraz on a double steal play with Swinko. Following the victory over the Mustangs (3-6, 0-2), Medina is red hot heading into a clash with defending GCC champion Mentor (5-5, 2-0) on Wednesday. "(The win) gives us a lot of momentum in going to Mentor on Wednesday," Allar said. "It feels good to get our first conference win one and done so we can move on to the next." Freshman pitcher Brooke Housum continued her fantastic start with her sixth win in a complete game. She held Strongsville to just one unearned run on three hits through four innings. "I'm so proud of Brooke and how well she pitched," Allar said. "It was a really good performance by her." Housum was dynamite against everyone except slugger Emma Hartman, who went 2-for-3 with a triple, home run and sacrifice fly to drive in four of Strongsville's five runs. She raised her season batting average to .600. Hartman tripled home Strongsville's first run after Adrianna Maenza reached on an error to lead off the third. Hartman then saved the Mustangs from getting run-ruled in the fifth with a sacrifice fly that scored Mraz and hit a homer in the seventh that also scored Maenza. The left-handed Housum has taken to the varsity game very quickly and continues to find a greater comfort zone in the circle with each start. "The hitters' contact with pitching is high," Housum said of the beginning of her career. "I had to adjust, because I was too accurate. I've learned that with two strikes don't throw in the zone or they will nail it." Medina went back to work in the second, with Katie Rubino, McCoy and Allar getting back-to-back-to-back singles with one out. Rubino came around on Allar's hit, while McCoy and Allar scored on Neal's single up the middle. The Bees sent nine hitters to the plate in a four-run third. Reese Todaro smoked a triple to right field that scored Housum, who had singled, and Lily Cassidy, who had reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Rubino then doubled in Todaro and scored on Allar's third hit in as many innings. "Hitting, pretty much one through nine in the lineup was amazing for everyone," Allar said. "It's really easy when one person gets a hit to keep that momentum going and making sure our energy is up the whole game." Housum led off the next inning with a double and scored when Cassidy followed with a single to take an 11-1 lead. Cassidy scored the final run in the sixth inning when her fly ball to Maenza in right field was dropped for a four-base error. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Medina 12, Strongsville 5 STRONGSVILLE 001 020 2 — 5 8 4 MEDINA 334 101 x — 12 17 1 WP — Brooke Housum (6-0) 7 innings, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts. LP — Addison Heidenhoffer 6 innings, 7 earned runs, 3 strikeouts. Strongsville (3-6, 0-2) — Stacey Mraz 2 singles, run; Adrianna Maenza single, 2 runs; Emma Hartman triple, home run, run, 4 RBIs. Medina (6-0, 1-0) — Katie Rubino single, double, 2 runs, RBI; Bailey McCoy single, triple, 2 runs; Ryann Allar 4 singles, 2 runs, 3 RBIs; Kelsey Swinko 3 singles, run; Hannah Neal 2 singles, 3 RBIs; Housum 2 singles, 2 runs, hit by pitch; Lily Cassidy single, 2 runs; Reese Todaro single, triple, run, 2 RBIs.