Avalon Sprang drives in five as Trojans edge Panthers

FINDLAY 18WHITMER 17TOLEDO – Findlay and Toledo Whitmer squared off in a Northern Lakes League softball game on Monday and a home-run derby broke out.Findlay ended up with one more hit and one more run, though, in beating the Panthers 18-17 in a Northern Lakes League Buckeye Division slugfest that that featured two grand slams and eight total home runs.Findlay chalked up its fifth win in seven games, improved to 16-5 overall and moved within two victories of tying the school record for wins in a season. The Trojans, who will host Elida on Wednesday, are 4-4 in the NLL Buckeye Division.Avalon Sprang, a freshman outfielder who has had an impressive run the second half of the season, hitting .407 with 12 RBI, had two singles, a double and a home run in five at-bats and drove in five runs. Ryan Boes (1B, 2B, HR), Emmalynn Strausbaugh and winning pitcher Natalie Steffes also went yard for the Trojans.Sprang's three-run double put Findlay up early, but Whitmer's Raegan Lapoint tied it with a three-run home run in the bottom of other first.Steffes hit a solo homer and Sprang added an RBI single in the second inning, and Boes and Sprang followed with two more solo shots in the fifth.Whitmer surged ahead 13-11 when a grand slam by McKenzie Englehart highlighted a nine-ran rally in the fifth. Findlay regained the lead in the top of the seventh, when Strausbaugh's three-run blast triggered a seven-run outburst.Lapoint would hit her second home run of the game, a grand slam that cut the deficit to 18-17 in the bottom of the seventh. Emily Cole, who had relieved Steffes with two outs in the sixth, then shut Whitmer down to get the save.Whitmer pitched around Findlay's Addie Sprang, a senior catcher who owns school records for home runs in a season (9) and career (25). Sprang walked three times, but also had two hits, drove in three runs and scored four. Boes (1B, 2B, HR) also scored four runs.Lapoint drove in seven runs with her two home runs. Ryleigh Hannibal had a single and three doubles and Kyleigh Black had two singles, a double and a home run for Whitmer (12-7, 2-3 NLL-Buckeye).Findlay 320 420 7—18 18 1Whitmer 301 090 4—17 17 2WP—Steffes. LP—Staples. TOP HITTERS: (Fin) R. Boes 1B, 2B, HR, RBI; Ad. Sprang 2-1B, 3 RBI; Da. Harris 1B, RBI; Av. Sprang 2-1B, 2B, HR, 5 RBI; Hartman 2-1B; De. Harris 1B, RBI; Steffes 1B, HR, 2 RBI; Cole 1B, RBI; Strausbaugh HR, 3 RBI. (TW) Hannibal 1B, 3-2B, 2 RBI; Black 2-1B, 2B, HR, 3 RBI; Lapoint 2-HR, 7 RBI; Englehart 1B, HR, 4 RBI; Munoz 2-1B, 2B. ELMWOOD 14MCCOMB 9BLOOMDALE – Elmwood answered McComb's big inning with a big inning of its own and clinched a share of the 2026 Blanchard Valley Conference softball title with a 14-9 win over the Panthers.Outright BVC champion in 2024 and 2025, Elmwood will share the 2026 title with Liberty-Benton. Both went 9-1 in league games.Arcadia entered Monday's play with just one BVC loss as well, but the Redskins were beaten 3-0 by Ada.Lily Sebring had two singles, a home run and drove in four run for McComb. The Panthers trailed 4-0 before exploding for nine runs in the fourth inning.Jillian Main, Maddy Campbell (2 RBI) and Libbie Tyson all had two hits for Elmwood.McComb 000 900 0—9 9 3Elmwood 112 820 x—14 11 5WP—Casey. LP—Sebring. TOP HITTERS: (McC) Sebring 2-1B, HR, 4 RBI; Abbott 2-1B; Hassan 2-1B. (Elm) Sander 2B; Campbell 2-1B, 2 RBI; Tyson 2B. ADA 3ARCADIA 0ARCADIA – Freshman pitcher Aubry Jordan pitched a two-hit shutout and Ada denied Arcadia its bid for a share of the BVC softball title with a 3-0 win over the Redskins.Jordan struck out 14 batters in a complete game masterpiece.Shaylin Smith had two singles and a double, Emily Shanks had a pair of base hits and Tea Griffith belted a solo home run for Ada (20-3, 7-2 BVC).Alanna Tucker also pitched well for Arcadia (10-11, 7-2), allowing just three runs on seven hits while striking out six.Ada 002 001 0—3 7 2Arcadia 000 000 0—0 2 0WP—Jordan. LP—Tucker, TOP HITTERS: (Ada) Smith 2-1B, 2B; Griffith HR, RBI; Shanks 2-1B. RIVERDALE 14VANLUE 4MOUNT BLANCHARD – Riverdale broke a 4-4 tie with a four-run rally in the bottom of the fourth inning, and run-ruled Vanlue with six runs in the fifth in the completion of a Blanchard Valley Conference softball game.The game had been tied 4-4 when bad weather suspended play on April 22.Carly Karcher had an RBI triple, winning pitcher Addi Manns doubled and drove in three runs and Ryleigh Howard doubled and knocked in two. Hailie Hites led Riverdale (8-15, 3-6 BVC) with three base hits, and Dylann Thacker had two.Aubree Higgins belted a two-run home run for Vanlue (5-12, 1-9 BVC). Candace Saltzman (1B, 2B), Alivia Otto (2-1B) and Odessa Musgrave (2-1B) all had two hits.Vanlue 202 00—4 9 5Riverdale 400 46—14 11 0WP—Manns. LP—M. Brooks. TOP HITTERS: (Van) Saltzman 1B, 2B, 2 RBI; Higgins HR, 2 RBI; Otto 2-1B; Musgrave 2-1B. (Riv) Manns 2B, 3 RBI; Howard 2B, 2 RBI; Karcher 3B, RBI; Furr 1B, RBI; Kemerley 1B, RBI; Hites 3-1B, RBI; Thacker 2-1B, 2 RBI. LEIPSIC 14ARLINTON 6LEIPSIC – Leipsic surged ahead with a six-run rally in the third inning and capped Monday's 14-6 win over Arlington with a five spot in the sixth.Olivia Tussing and Avery Niese had two hits each for Leipsic (4-13, 4-6 BVC). The Vikings were outhit 13-7, but capitalized on eight walks and five Arlington errors.Delaney Glick, Ellie Marquart, Mireya Velazquez and Tori Wenner all had two hits for Arlington (2-16, 2-6 BVC).Arlington 100 004 1—6 13 5Leipsic 026 105 x—14 7 2WP—Kleman. LP—Velazquez. TOP HITTERS: (Arl) Glick 2-1B; Ratliff 2B, RBI; Marquart 2-1B, RBI; Velazquez 2-1B; Taylor 1B, RBI; Ruiz 1B, RBI; Wenner 1B, 2B. (Leip) P. Schroeder 2B, RBI; Tussing 2-1B; Goodwin 3B, 2 RBI; Niese 1B,, 2B, 2 RBI. MOHAWK 14U. SANDUSKY 6SYCAMORE – Mohawk rode the momentum of a seven-run second inning to a 14-6 win over Upper Sandusky on Monday and pulled into a tie with the Rams for first place in the Northern 10 Conference softball standings.Mallory Brickner had three base hits, drove in three runs and scored three for Mohawk (18-3, 10-1 N10). Katie Woodland and Blake Miller added two hits each. Aubrey Gottfried gave up six runs and seven hits and walked five, but also struck out 10 Upper Sandusky batters.Adilyn Hessey singled, belted her third home run of the season and drove in five runs for Upper (18-4, 11-1 N10). Addy Johnson also had two hits for the Rams.U. Sandusky 002 040 0—6 7 5Mohawk 070 313 x—14 11 0WP—Gottfried. LP—Swavel. TOP HITTERS: (US) Johnson 2-1B; Saull 1B, RBI; Hessey 1B, HR, 5 RBI. (Moh) Brickner 3-1B, 3 RBI; Woodland 1b, 3B, RBI; Gottfried 1B, 2 RBI; Miller 1B, 2B. COL. CRAWFORD 12CAREY 2NORTH ROBINSON – Aubrey Betts pitched a two-hitter and had three hits and drove in three runs in leading Colonel Crawford to a 12-2 Northern 10 Conference win over Carey.Olivia Friley, Paige Allen and Arabella Stratton all had two hits for the Eagles (19-7, 10-3 N10). The two hits by Carey (10-11, 4-7 N10) were a solo home run by Danika Hanna and an RBI double by Emma Turner.Carey 010 001—2 2 5Col. Crawford 423 003—12 12 0WP—Betts. LP—Hanna. TOP HITTERS: (Car) Hanna HR, RBI; Turner 2B, RBI. (CC) Friley 1B, 2B, RBI; Betts 3-1B, 3 RBI; Stratton 2-1B, RBI. OTSEGO 13VAN BUREN 3TONTOGANY – Five-run rallies in the second and fourth innings powered Otsego past Van Buren 13-3.Cailyn Lorenz and Ryleigh O'Brien banged out three hits each for Otsego (10-10). Gracie Zsigray singled, homered and drove in four runs for the Knights.Jordan Patton and Aubrey Riegle delivered RBI singles for Van Buren (9-13).Van Buren 100 200—3 6 5Otsego 051 511—13 13 2WP—Brooks. LP—Patton. TOP HITTERS: (VB) Patton 1B, RBI; Riegle 1B, RBI. (Ots) Lorenz 3-1B, RBI; O'Brien 3-1B, 2 RBI; Weaver 1B, 2B, RBI; Jones 1B, 2 RBI; Euler 1B, 2 RBI; Zsigray 1B, HR, 4 RBI. SPENCERVILLE 11BLUFFTON 1SPENCERVOLLE – Spencerville outhit Bluffton just 12-9 but manufactured five runs in the first two innings and tacked on five more in the bottom of the seventh in beating the Pirates 11-1 in a Northwest Conference matchup.Haley Hittle had three hits, Gabriella King and Alexis Post added two each and Delanee Roof had a solo home run for Spencerville (6-12). Greta Myers had three hits and Cam Fruchey two for Bluffton (8-1).Bluffton 000 001—1 9 3Spencerville 320 105—11 12 0WP—Post. LP—Worcester. TOP HITTERS: (Blu) Fruchey 2-1B; Myer 3-1B, RBI; Boyles 2B; Swank 2B. (Spe) Hittle 3-1B; King 2-1B, RBI; Post 2-1B, 2 RBI; Johnson 2B, 2 RBI; Roof HR, RBI.