BOARDMAN STALLS IN THE STATE SEMIS
AKRON OH- In a tight pitcher’s duel in the stadium atmosphere at Firestone, Boardman’s postseason ride came to a halt Friday in the state semis, falling 3-1 to a scrappy Holland Springfield bunch.
Both arms were dealing, but the Blue Devils found just enough at the plate to edge out the Spartans. Tori Strines held her own in the circle, logging 3.2 innings and four punchouts, but a pair of timely hits in the fourth flipped the script.
Boardman cracked the scoreboard first thanks to an RBI double from Ellie Wymer in the second. Mikayla Rivera stayed hot at the dish, roping two knocks on the day. Overall, the Spartans out-hit Springfield 6-5 but couldn’t string together enough to cash in.
Springfield knotted it in the third on a Hannah Schlachter double, then pulled ahead with a groundout and RBI single in the fourth from Andrella Espino and Camryn Hall.
Strines took the tough-luck loss, while Springfield’s Callee Chappetta went the distance for the win—scattering six hits, fanning seven, and walking nobody.
Boardman flashed leather all day—clean sheet defensively with Addie Rudge leading the way with six chances. A tough end, but a statement season for the Spartans, who battled all the way to Akron for the first time in a long time, and took home a share of the AAC.
