LEETONIA, OH- The Lady Bears are young, inexperienced, but hungry. Despite the rough start to the season where the Bears took on solid squads in Lordstown and Liberty, local powerhouse Crestview, and veteran senior-led teams in the EOAC in Southern Local and Wellsville, the Bears are improving every single game. Leetonia head coach Corey Yoakam said “we are inexperienced and there is no shortcut to experience. We need to play tough quality teams and we are doing just that. While we have taken our bruises, we are getting better every game, every inning, and every play.”

This improvement was apparent in Saturday’s doubleheader against Lowellville. Despite taking the losses in both games the Bears showcased their improved hitting especially in the first game as they were able to put up 9 hits against a solid Lowellville pitcher in Kelly.

In the first game, Freshman Allison Francosky went 3-3 which included 2 singles and a double for the Bears. Junior Chloe Dale went 2-3 which also included a double. Sophomore Meagan Rosko went  2-3 with two singles. Sophomore Taran Ferry had a triple.

The Bears defense was stingy and only made three errors against a potent Rocket offense that features solid bats throughout the lineup. Chloe Dale had a fantastic outing from the circle going the full seven innings while racking up 10 strikeouts. Lowellville won the game with solid 2nd and 4th innings where they were able to put up 3 in each stanza.

The Kelly family had quite a day for the Rockets. The three sisters who combined for 7 of the Rockets 15 hits. Kester added a double and a triple, and Chaibir added two singles for the Lowellville offense.

Kelly for Lowellville got the win pitching the full 7 innings, giving up 9 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. The final score in the first game was 10-3.

In the second game, Lowellville’s bats came alive where they were able to put up 15 hits. The Bears offense showed lots of fight, and even struck the first blow while jumping out to an early 1-0 lead but struggled to cash in on opportunities. Chloe Dale, Haleigh Brock both had singles and  Megan Rosko had a double for the Bears.

The Rockets had a big 4th inning where they put up 8 runs. The Kelly family once again had an impact giving the Rockets 7 of their 15 total hits. Lowellville won the game 14-1. Further, helping the Rocket cause was an outstanding game by the Lowellville pitching staff where they didn’t give up a single walk. The final score was 14-1 in favor of the Rockets.

Leetonia resumes league play on Monday where they kick off a home-and-home series against United. The first game of the series will be held in the Bears Den on Monday 5pm.

**Written and contributed by Corey Yoakam**