FINDLAY, Ohio. — The Rangers softball team wrapped up its Ohio road trip Sunday afternoon with a split against Findlay at Findlay High School, rolling to a 10-6 win in game one before dropping an 10-8 slugfest in game two at Ammons Field.
GAME ONE (PARKSIDE 10, FINDLAY 6):
Parkside's offense was clicking from the start in the opener, as the Rangers scored in the first inning and never trailed on the way to a 10-6 victory.
Mia Johnson jump-started the day by doubling down the left-field line to open the game, then came home on a wild pitch. Ava Swain later scored on a sacrifice fly from Isabel Aranda to give Parkside a quick 2-0 lead.
The Rangers added two more runs in the third, both coming via the long ball. Johnson launched a solo home run to left center, and two batters later Taylor Utrata connected on a solo shot, her first of the year, to right center to push the advantage to 4-0.
Findlay got one back in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Joslynne Frazier, then trimmed the margin to 4-2 in the fifth when Frazier homered to center.
Parkside answered again in the sixth. Johnson walked and moved to second on a throwing error before Swain singled to right center to bring her home and make it 5-2.
The Rangers then blew the game open with a massive seventh inning, scoring five runs on seven hits. Aranda and Megan Medlin opened the frame with singles, Reese Valha reached on a fielder's choice, and Maddie Hernandez crushed a three-run home run, the first of her career, to straightaway center. After Peyton Klikno singled and Johnson doubled to center, CICI Di Silvio ripped an RBI double to right center, and Swain capped the inning with another run-scoring single to stretch the lead to 10-2.
Findlay made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh with four runs, getting a solo homer from Annika Bredel, a two-run double from Anna Jones and an RBI single from Sophie Retton, but Parkside turned to Melanie Andrysiak for the final out to close out the win.
The Rangers pounded out 16 hits in game one, with every hitter in the lineup recording at least one. Johnson led the way by going 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, four runs scored, one RBI and two walks. Aranda also went 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Swain finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Hernandez went 2-for-4 with the big three-run homer, and Klikno added a 2-for-4 effort. Valha doubled and scored, Di Silvio doubled and drove in a run, Utrata homered and drove in one, and Medlin added a hit and a run scored.
Casey Jo Vermett earned the win after working 6.2 innings, allowing six earned runs on nine hits while striking out seven. Andrysiak picked up the save after recording the final out.
Findlay totaled 10 hits in the opener, with Bredel and Frazier both homering. Jones doubled and drove in two, while Alexys Antal and Jenna Poulson each had multi-hit games.
GAME TWO (FINDLAY 10, PARKSIDE 8):
The second game featured even more offense, but this time Findlay answered every Parkside push and held on for a 10-8 win.
The Oilers struck first on a solo home run by Bredel in the bottom of the first, then added another run in the second on a sacrifice fly from Bredel to take a 2-0 lead.
Parkside got on the board in the third when Johnson blasted her second home run of the day, a solo shot to left center that cut the deficit to 2-1.
Reese Valha tied the game in the fourth with a solo homer to right field, but the Oilers answered in the bottom half on a two-run triple from Frazier to move back in front, 4-2.
The biggest swing for Parkside came in the fifth. Ava Swain walked, Taylor Utrata singled, and Isabel Aranda followed with a three-run home run, her first collegiate homer, to right to put the Rangers in front, 5-4. Later in the inning, Valha singled and came around to score, and Johnson launched a ball over the fence in right for what initially appeared to be a grand slam, but she was ruled out after passing a runner between first and second on the basepaths. The play was scored as a single with three RBI and stretched the Parkside lead to 8-4.
Findlay responded immediately with a four-run bottom of the fifth to tie the game. Sophie Retton singled in a run, Alexys Antal brought home another with a groundout, and Frazier added a two-run single to even the score at 8-8.
The Oilers then took the lead for good in the sixth. Anna Jones homered to center for the go-ahead run, and Retton later drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 10-8.
Parkside was unable to answer in the seventh, as Findlay retired the Rangers in order to finish off the split.
Johnson turned in a monster performance in game two, going 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, one run scored and a walk. She reached base every time she stepped to the plate in both games, finishing the day a combined 6-for-6 with two home runs and five RBI. Aranda had a big game as well, finishing 1-for-3 with a three-run homer and a walk. Valha went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored, while Swain reached base three times with a hit, two walks and a stolen base. Utrata added a hit and a walk, Hernandez drew two walks and scored, and Klikno walked twice and scored once.
Parkside finished with eight hits in game two and drew nine walks, but Findlay countered with 12 hits of its own. Frazier drove in four runs for the Oilers, Bredel homered and drove in two, Jones homered, and Jenna Poulson scored twice.
Holly Lowenberg started the second game and went five innings, allowing eight runs on 10 hits. Andrysiak worked the sixth inning in relief.
Parkside's offense remained the bright spot throughout the day. The Rangers scored 18 runs on 24 hits in the doubleheader, and Johnson delivered one of the most dominant single-day performances of the season. Parkside also saw production throughout the lineup in the opener, when all nine starters recorded hits and five Rangers posted multi-hit games.
The Rangers return to action next week for three doubleheaders, beginning on the road Wednesday in Quincy, Illinois, with games against Quincy at noon and 2 p.m. CT before GLIAC play begins at home next weekend.
To keep up with the Rangers, be sure to visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
