CHAMPION GETS A PAIR OF CONFERENCE WINS IN ONE DAY

By Noah Ricks 

WARREN, OH – The Champion Golden Flashes showed the community that they are still a dynasty to be reckoned with. It was evident in a short-notice doubleheader against Brookfield. They won Game 1, 17-1, and Game 2, 17-0, respectively, to improve to 4-0 on the young season.

In Game 1, Brookfield would strike first as Arianna Jones’ RBI brought home Madisyn Fisher for a 1-0 lead. Champion, however, exploded over their first four innings at-bat with 17 unanswered runs, with all but one of the eleven players in the lineup getting on the board. Gabby Gradishar led the charge with 4 runs off of 2 hits. Her pitching was the highlight, though, as she was able to strike out 16 batters in the first game and gave up only one hit in the five innings pitched.

The dominance continued into Game 2, with 17 more runs compiling a total of 34 runs overall on the night. Gradishar would cash in 13 more strikeouts off of 1 hit to bring her statline to 29 strikeouts and 2 hits overall. She would also pile up a nice 6 RBI game, along with getting two two-run home runs in the doubleheader. Addie Warzala would pick up 3 runs off of 3 hits in Game 2 while Bella Meyer, in the same game, had 2 tag-homes off of 2 hits.

With many rainouts around the area, both teams showcased the ability to play it all out and get two games in on a short notice. Champion (4-0) is determined to win their first state championship in five years and tenth overall, and this early season push is all in the manner of them taking it one game at a time. Brookfield (0-3) will use these tough defeats to gain much-needed experience, as they gave it everything they had against a state powerhouse like Champion.

YSN’s Noah Ricks got to speak with Player of the Games Gabby Gradishar and Bella Meyer following the doubleheader. You can watch the interviews below.