Five questions that will be answered in the OHSAA district softball tournament this week
The second week of the OHSAA softball tournament is here and the matchups only get bigger and more enticing from here on out. Plenty of interesting questions have been raised as the district tournaments begin and those questions will be answered on various fields across the region this week.
Here are five of the most interesting questions facing Greater Canton softball teams this week:
Who will emerge from the Division I Mentor district?
Perhaps the two teams with the best chances to bring a state title to the area could play each other this week in a district final.
The No. 4-seeded Hoover Vikings will play No. 5-seeded Eastlake North in a district semifinal at Mentor High School at 2 p.m. Monday. The Vikings have two pitchers (Ella Letosky and Summer McCaw) capable of shutting down an opposing offense and its own offense features clutch hitters such as Sadie Carroll (.526 batting average) and Delaney Shannon.
No. 3-seeded Louisville will take on No. 6-seeded Painesville at 5 p.m. at Mentor in the second district semifinal Monday. The Leopards have arguably the best overall player in the area in University of Maryland recruit Matti Benson (.481). She is surrounded by a group of excellent hitters including Kaitlin Twinem (.400), Bailee Griffith (.444), Addy Campbell (three home runs), Leah Claugus (23 RBIs) and others.
The winners of both semifinals will meet back at Mentor at 5 p.m. Wednesday. A game between Hoover and Louisville this early in the tournament would no doubt bring a lot of eyes to the end result.
Can a Federal League team win the Massillon district featuring unbeaten Walsh Jesuit?
A Federal League team is going to have a chance to surprise in the Division I district tournament at Massillon this week.
No. 11-seeded Jackson and No. 16-seeded Lake will meet in a district semifinal at 5 p.m. Monday with a district final opportunity on the line.
Jackson has a strong core of hitters at the top of the lineup in freshman Gabbi Williamson (.506), senior Alexis Sin (.408) and junior Morgan Christopher. Pitcher Courtney Helle is also capable of producing a strong outing.
Lake has no shortage of excellent hitters. Olivia Brown (.562), Aubrey Eisele (.436) and Makenna Miller (.429) are all capable of changing the complexion of the game with one swing of the bat. Pitcher Gianna Greathouse has also had strong outings for the Blue Streaks.
The winner will be tasked with playing the winner of the No. 2 Walsh Jesuit vs. No. 14 Hoban semifinal back in Massillon at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Walsh is unbeaten this season. Federal League teams are often battle tested and can never be counted out in a district final.
Can Marlington win the Hubbard district?
The No. 3-seeded Marlington Dukes will be looking for their second consecutive district title this week. The path won't be easy with a possible district championship game against No. 2 Canfield.
One thing is for sure. Marlington should have no problem scoring runs. The Dukes have a potent lineup featuring Chelsea Miller (.533), Audrey Miller (.523) and Maria Walder (.463). Starting pitcher Justine Doringo is among the area leaders in strikeouts (99) this season.
Marlington at 5 p.m. Tuesday in its district semifinal against No. 8 Gilmour Academy, Canfield plays No. 9 Kenston in the other district semifinal at Hubbard.
A potential district final between Canfield and Marlington would take place at 5 p.m. Thursday back at Hubbard. Marlington's powerful lineup would be tasked with facing Cardinals pitcher Malena Toth, who has thrown five no-hitters this year. Macey Kalina is a dangerous power hitter for Canfield.
Can Northwest softball continue to surprise?
The PAC-7 has no shortage of quality softball teams. Being forced to compete regularly against strong teams such as Triway, Manchester and Tuslaw has paid dividends for Northwest already in the postseason.
No. 14-seeded Northwest knocked off No. 4 St. Vincent-St. Mary in a sectional championship on the road. Northwest will face the winner of Monday's game sectional final between No. 4 Coventry and No. 30 Hawken on at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Willig Softball Complex in Canton.
Another upset would push Northwest into a district final against either No. 2 Buckeye, No. 22 Clearview or No. 9 Norton back at the Willig at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Northwest has strong players who could give them a chance to surprise and possibly win the district. That includes Caroline Metzger (.457), Autmn Kennard (.455) and Lily Lyons (.400).
Can Tuslaw knock off Manchester for a second time this season?
Speaking of PAC-7 powerhouses, two of them are meeting in a Division III district semifinal at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Wellington Recreation Park when No. 3 Manchester plays No. 6 Tuslaw.
The two teams split their regular-season series. Manchester won the first meeting 2-1 while Tuslaw won the second meeting 10-7. Talent will be plentiful across the board. Tuslaw's lineup features Camryn Kiefer (.482), Kylie Johnson (.452) and Danica Crescenze (.409). Manchester counters with a lineup that has Cassidy Perry (.538), Alli Hodgkinson (.468) and Cayleigh Bowe (.446).
Both teams also have solid pitchers. Kiefer is 7-6 with 145 strikeouts in 91.2 innings for Tuslaw. She has an ERA of just 1.53. Rachel Baker is 15-2 with 192 strikeouts in 102 innings. Her ERA is barely higher at 1.58.
Whoever prevails in this clash will face the winner of No. 2 Hillsdale and No. 7 Keystone.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Five questions about area teams in the district softball tournament
