FHS softball faces Perrysburg with spot in district final on the line

It's been a record-setting kind of season for Findlay High's softball team.FHS coach Paige Jansen hopes it's a long one as well.Sitting on a school record 18 wins, Findlay will try to establish a new mark for wins in a season and earn a berth in the district championship as well when the Trojans and Perrysburg square off at 5 p.m. today in a Division I tournament game at Maumee's Rolf Park.A potent offense has been the strength of Findlay's season. The Trojans own a .407 team batting average and have belted a single-season record 23 home runs.Senior shortstop Leea Ibarra leads the Trojans with a .564 batting average. Ibarra leads the team with 19 stolen bases, shares the team lead in runs-batted-in with Paige Steinke and Jess Betts (32) and has scored a single-season record 48 runs.Steinke, a senior catcher, is hitting an even .500, has scored 41 runs and this season set an FHS record with 50 hits. Sophomore Alaina Steffes, a .420 hitter, has set a record with six home runs, bettering by one the single-season record held by Paige Steinke and her older sister Taylor.Sierra Cosart is hitting .414, Betts and Sophia Castellaneta .405, Liz Crites .403 and Jayda Brandt .338.Betts has been Findlay's ace inside the circle, compiling a 12-4 record with a 2.45 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. Cosart is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.975 and Ashley Claflin 2-0 with a 1.273 ERA.Three area teams comprise 75 percent of the field for the Division III district at Lima Bath. Riverdale will face No. 1-seeded Elmwood at 4 p.m. today in the first of two games at that site. Third-seeded Van Buren goes against No. 2-seeded Fairview in the second game.In Division IV district tournament games, North Baltimore will play Wayne Trace and Columbus Grove battles Lima Central Catholic at Elida, and Old Fort squares off with No. 2-state ranked New Riegel and Hopewell-Loudon goes against Gibsonburg at Oak Harbor.The 2021 OHSAA baseball tournament begins today with several area Division IV schools taking the field.With higher seeded teams hosting first and second-round games, Carey will be home against Upper Scioto Valley, Arlington will host Ridgemont, Pandora-Gilboa has a home date with Fort Jennings, and New Riegel will host Arcadia.In other matchups, Vanlue is at Toledo Christian, Ada travels to Fort Recovery, Hardin Northern goes to Buckeye Central, Cory-Rawson is at Ottoville, McComb and Patrick Henry square off at PH and North Baltimore visits Holgate.