Louisville, OH- Some days the sun is conceiving. Today at Louisville High School was one of those days. A strong and brisk wind swept across the Leopards campus this early afternoon as the Louisville Leopards played host to a triple header, with the Mogadore Wildcats and Streetsboro Rockets coming to town.
The opener for the day was the Leopards and Wildcats squaring off. Following a rough weather week, both teams seemed excited just to get out on the diamond.
Mogadore didn't waste any time putting the pressure on Leopards hurler Taylor Schneider, loading the bases with only one out on 2 walks and a single. Schneider settled in and escaped the frame unscathed with back to back strike outs to escape the jam.
It didn't take long for the Leopards to strike, with leadoff hitter Kaitlin Twinem leading off the bottom half with a home run to center field. Matti Benson followed with a single and a swipe of second but Mogadore starter Katie Gardner was able to get out of the first only yielding one.
Schneider was able to settle in after the rocky first, getting some help from an overzealous baserunning error by the Wildcats. Following a one out walk to Rylee Clark, a bunt was laid down by Gracie Funk, the Leopards had a bit of an issue fielding and no one covered first base, but Clark made the turn and tried to advance to third and was thrown out easily. Schneider would strikeout her counterpart Gardner to end the top half of the 2nd.
In the home half, it was Addy Campbell leading off taking one for the team. She would eventually come around to score the games 2nd run on a high pop fly near home plate off the bat of Katelyn Miller. The high gust of wind made a routine pop out everything but, with the ball falling just out of the reach of the Wildcats catcher.
By the third inning, Schneider was in a groove. A one out double was followed once again by two strikeouts to put another 0 on the board for the Wildcats. In the bottom of the 3rd, the Leopards were able to double their advantage, going up 4-0 on an RBI double off the bat of Kenzie Denzer that brought in Matti Benson before Bailee Griffith followed with a fielder's choice to push across Denzer.
A quiet 4th inning was followed by Katie Gardner helping her own cause with a leadoff homer of her own to start the top half of the 5th inning. That was all the Wildcats could muster on this brisk Saturday afternoon.
Louisville was able to add one more security run in the bottom of the 6th when Twinem came around following a 1 out single on a 2 out frozen rope to right off the bat of Anna Sirohman.
The Leopards emerge victorious from the 1st base dugout.
The victory pushed the Leopards to 5-0 on the early season, while the Wildcats fell to 5-1. To complete the days triple header the Wildcats squared off with the Rockets and the Leopards awaited the Rockets following the middle game.
Box Score (courtesy of the GameChanger app):
Mogadore
Louisville
