Tag Archive for: Golden Flashes

CHAMPION SENDS STRONG MESSAGE WITH BLOWOUT

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WARREN OH-

Emma Gumont didn’t allow a single run against Crestview, throwing a complete game shutout and leading Champion to a 17-0 victory on Monday

Gumont led Champion to victory by driving in five runs. Gumont went 3-for-4 at the plate. Gumont drove in runs on a single in the first, a single in the third, and a home run in the fourth.

The Golden Flashes got on the board in the first inning when Kaedyn Sutton induced Isabella Meyer to hit into a fielder’s choice, but one run scored.

A single by Shianna Mathes in the first inning was a positive for Crestview.

Gumont got the start for Champion. Gumont went five innings, allowing zero runs on four hits, striking out eight and walking zero.

Sutton was in the circle for Crestview. The bulldog lasted four innings, allowing 12 hits and 17 runs while striking out four.

Champion launched four home runs on the day. Gumont had a long ball in the fourth inning. Cassidy Shaffer had a four bagger in the fourth inning. Olivia Zigarovich went deep in the first inning.

Champion totaled 12 hits in the game. Gumont, Shaffer, and Lauren Fife each had multiple hits. Shaffer and Gumont each managed three hits to lead.

Crestview scattered four hits in the game. Mathes and Sutton all managed multiple hits.

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OSHAUGHNESSY SENDS FLASHES HOME HAPPY

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WARREN OH-

Champion seized victory in dramatic walk-off fashion, thanks to a walk-off single at the end of the game to topple Marlington. The game was tied at nine with Champion batting in the bottom of the seventh when Jack O’Shaughnessy singled on a 3-0 count, scoring one run.

Both pitching staffs had their hands full, frequently dealing with runners on base. Champion collected 13 hits and Marlington had 12.

Marlington fired up the offense in the first inning, when Carson Fife induced Odey to hit into a fielder’s choice, but one run scored.

The Flashes scored six runs in the sixth inning. The offensive onslaught  was led by Collin Brainard, Nathan Holt, Brandon Dykes, Zachary Bickel, O’Shaughnessy, and Aaron Ellsworth, all driving in runs in the frame.

Hunter Haines led the Flashes to victory on the mound. The lefthander surrendered four runs on seven hits over four innings, striking out six and walking one. Fife threw three innings in relief out of the bullpen.

Brainard started the game for Champion Flashes Varsity. The righthander allowed one hit and three runs

Champion totaled 13 hits. Bickel, O’Shaughnessy, Brainard, Ellsworth, and Dykes each racked up multiple hits. Bickel led with three hits in five at bats.

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FLASHES STAY GOLDEN WITH VICTORY OVER CAMPBELL

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Champion  was victorious over Memorial, 4-1 on Friday night.

Champion opened up scoring in the second inning, when Collin Brainard singled on a 2-0 count, scoring one run.

Aaron Ellsworth was credited with the victory for the Flashes. The righty lasted five innings, allowing four hits and one run while striking out four and walking one. Tyler Skaggs threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen. Skaggs recorded the last six outs to earn the save.

Jack O’Shaughnessy went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead Champion in hits.

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CHAMPION EARLY LEAD ENOUGH TO CAGE LEOPARDS

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WARREN OH-

Champion grabbed an early lead on its way to a 6-4 victory over Liberty on Tuesday. They took the lead on a triple in the first inning.

In the bottom of the first inning, Champion tied things up at one. Aaron Ellsworth drove in one when Ellsworth tripled.

The Flashes pulled away for good with one run in the second inning.

Jack O’Shaughnessy got the win for Champion. The righthander went five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out five. Tyler Skaggs threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen. Skaggs recorded the last six outs to earn the save.

Champion saw the ball well today, racking up 12 hits in the game. Collin Brainard and Ellsworth each collected multiple hits. Ellsworth and Brainard each managed three hits to lead. .

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CANFIELD GETS THE BEST OF THE FLASHES

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CANFIELD OH-

Canfield stole the lead late and defeated Champion 11-4 on Friday. Canfield was down 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Ben Slanker singled on a 1-1 count, scoring two runs.

The Cardinals earned the victory despite allowing Champion to score three runs in the first inning. The offensive firepower by Champion was led by Nathan Holt, Tyler Skaggs, and Collin Brainard, all driving in runs in the frame.

Champion opened up scoring in the first inning, when Holt drew a walk, scoring one run.

Canfield pulled away for good with seven runs in the fourth inning. In the fourth AJ Havrilla singled on a 2-2 count, scoring one run, Landon Beidelchies singled on a 2-1 count, scoring one run, Dom Magliocca doubled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring two runs, and Nate Shaw doubled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run.

Jake Grdic led the the Cardinals to victory on the hill. Grdic allowed three hits and one run over four innings, striking out five. Alex Iannizzaro threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.

Jack O’Shaughnessy led things off on the mound for Champion. The pitcher surrendered seven runs on six hits over three and a third innings, striking out two.

Shaw started the game for Canfield. The righty went one inning, allowing three runs on zero hits and striking out two

Canfield collected ten hits. Havrilla and Chris Sammarone each collected multiple hits. Sammarone and Havrilla each collected two hits to lead.

 

CHAMPION STRIKES LAST IN 9 INNING MARATHON

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BOARDMAN OH- On a cold Friday night Boardman and Champion brought the fire with a incredibly entertaining 9 inning thriller. Champion was the last to score, and picked up the 4-3 win, but both teams really put their best foot forward.

The Flashes struck first in the third when Morgan Davis singled to lead off the inning. A couple of wild pitches moved her to third, and then Cassidy Shaffer hit her in with a sac fly to right field.

Boardman would tie the game later in the 5th when Maddy Wymer singled, then her pinch runner Morgan Cherne would eventually score on a wild pitch.

Champion would take the lead right back in the next half inning while Taylor Fuller knocked in Emma Gumont, and Brooke Whitt who reached on an error would later score on a wild pitch. Champion led 3-1.

In the 7th inning Boardman quickly found themselves down to their last out. Then, Dana Haus singled, Kat Ohoro followed her up with a base hit. Then Jenna Olexa walked loading the bases for Maddy Lester. Lester smashed a single into right field scoring two and tying the game at 3. Nina Scavelli would fly out to deep right field to end the seventh giving all of the Spartan fans a stoppage of breath.

Both teams went scoreless in the eight, but it was Champion that would find a way to bring a run across in the 9th. The nine hitter for the Flashes Davis tripled with two outs to bring up Shaffer. Shaffer then singled home the go ahead run to put Champion up 4-3. Shaffer would then set the Spartans down in order to end the game in 9 innings.

Shaffer went 2-4 at the plate with 2 RBI to earn the Baird Brother Player of the Game. Shaffer also got the win in the circle. Her final line was 9.0 IP 9 H 3 ER 3 BB 1 K. Bella Meyer went 2-3 for the Flashes, and Davis went 2-4 with 2 runs scored.

Ohoro took the loss for Boardman. Her final line was 8.2 IP 8 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K. Lester went 2-4 at the plate with 2 RBI. Nadia Rawhneh went 2-4 as well.

FLASHES ESCAPE HARDING WITH WIN

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WARREN OH-

Champion took the lead late and defeated Harding 5-4 on Saturday. The game was tied at four with the Flashes batting in the top of the seventh when Tyler Skaggs’s sac fly scored one run.

Champion got things moving in the first inning. An error scored two runs.

Nathan Holt was credited with the victory for Champion. The righty surrendered zero runs on three hits over three innings, striking out three.

Aaron Ellsworth started the game for the Flashes. The pitcher allowed six hits and four runs over four innings, striking out four and walking one.

Champion saw the ball well today, racking up eight hits in the game. Zachary Bickel and Jack O’Shaughnessy all managed multiple hits. Bickel went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Champion in hits.

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CHAMPION KEEPS THE PEDAL DOWN ON BULLDOGS

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WARREN OH-

Champion stole the lead late in the game in an 11-5 victory over Lakeview on Thursday. The game was tied at four with the Flashes batting in the bottom of the fifth when Aaron Ellsworth doubled on a 3-1 count, scoring one run.

Champion secured the victory thanks to six runs in the fifth inning. The Flashes offense in the inning was led by Ellsworth, Nathan Holt, Tyler Skaggs, Joseph Fell, and Zachary Bickel, all driving in runs in the frame.

Champion took an early lead in the second inning. Fell singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run.

Bickel was the winning pitcher for Champion. The southpaw surrendered one run on one hit over three innings, striking out three.

Jack O’Shuaghnessy started the game for Champion Flashes Varsity. The righty lasted four innings, allowing seven hits and four runs while striking out one

Champion Flashes Varsity racked up seven hits. Fell and Ellsworth each collected multiple hits. Ellsworth and Fell all had two hits to lead.

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HOT CORNER WITH SPECIAL GUEST MORGAN HOWE

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Welcome back softball! Yes that is right, softball season is back.  The collegiate level of softball is in full swing, and the high school season in the state of Ohio is about to begin.  With a new season comes the return of the Hot Corner on YSN.  Over the summer, the Hot Corner was your place for coverage of travel softball in the area, and the high school season will be no different.  This blog will serve as a source for all our fellow softball fans to get in depth coverage of the YSN softball teams.  We will go beyond the story recaps to dive in to the big matchups, the amazing plays, and the key wins every week on the Hot Corner.  Along with weekly recaps and analysis another section of this blog i am particularly excited about is staying updated on YSN alums in college.  Loyalty is a pillar of the YSN brand and this blog will stay loyal to the players we have covered that have gone on to continue their careers at the next level. Finally as always the Hot Corner will end with a special guest from the softball world that will share their experiences and knowledge with our fans. We had tremendous guests join us over the summer that played on national teams, played in national championships, coached power 5 programs, and much more.

High School Preview

So here as we get started on the Hot Corner let’s get a preview of the upcoming high school softball season.  I will say this particular season might be the hardest to predict and preview that we have ever seen,.  Rosters are dramatically different than when we last saw these teams during the 2019 season.  To really get a grasp on where these programs might land, you have to look at the top.  Which programs have coaches that have been there, done that and will be able to quickly evaluate their roster and adjust accordingly.  A handful of coaches come to mind, and of course it has to start with Cheryl Weaver at Champion.  Weaver has been able to build a dynasty with the Golden Flashes.  In 2019, they won their third consecutive state championship and they did not allow a single run in their tournament journey. Coach Weaver has won 6 state titles as the head coach of Champion.  Now of course a big part of that was their pitching combo of Allison Smith, and Sophie Howell who are now at Ohio State, and YSU respectively.  Champion fans should not blink at that though, because Coach Weaver very rarely doesn’t have an ace in her back pocket.  The Flashes would be going for their fourth straight state championship, in an unconventional way admittingly, skipping 2020 like everyone else. Champion returns a couple standouts from 2019, including Emma Gumant, and Brooke Witt, joining them returning from 2019 and will also be captains are Lauren Fife, and Cassidy Shaffer.

Staying in division three, Jeff DeRose, and Greg Eskra are both helming successful programs, that have shown they are more than one season wonders.  Eskra and the Rebels will have a young talented squad, with a seasoned ace in the circle.  Junior Kaedyn Sutton led the Rebels to a district championship game in her freshman season.  She may have missed her sophomore season, but she got plenty of experience over the summer in travel ball.  Kaedyn won more games than anyone in her conference in 2019 with 16 wins as a freshman.  She will be a problem in the circle for anyone who steps in against the Rebels.  Jeff DeRose has been leading a successful program at South Range for quite some time, and I don’t expect that to change this year.  The Raiders are young as far as high school experience goes, but a majority of their roster plays travel ball, and got plenty of reps over the summer against quality competition,  Bree Kohler will step into the circle for her senior season already owning a chunk of offensive, and defensive records at South Range.  The YSU commit has really sharpened her pitching as the years have gone by.  She brings plenty of velocity to the table, but her change in speeds is what makes her so hard to hit off of.  Reagan Irons should add a good 1-2 punch in the circle for the Raiders as well, that has been something they have missed in the past years, relying heavily on Kohler caught with them at times.  Samantha Susany has already looked impressive in scrimmages as she took Austintown Fitch’s Lydia Spalding out of the park twice in their scrimmage.

Speaking of Fitch, they will be another team to watch out for as they have a ton of talent on their roster.  Coach Ward leads a Falcons team that can shut you down in the circle with Spalding who is locked in to play for Penn State next year, they can also beat you up at the plate with hitters like Maddy Taylor, and Sophia Senediak.  Although Fitch plays in a very tough conference with the likes of teams like Boardman, Howland, and Canfield, i expect them to have a very successful season.

Another team like Champion who is coming off a state championship is Louisville.  The Leopards won a dramatic 10 inning thriller to secure the 2019 state championship.  Sydney McKeever is unfortunately another star from a championship that lost her senior season to the pandemic.  But the Leopards still have plenty of reasons to be optimistic.. They have strength in the circle with Kendra Thomas, and an offense that put up 11 runs in their last scrimmage. Brooke Brendle looked impressive at the plate in that game with 3 RBI. Kaylee Nolte will also be returning for the Leopards.  She was on fire during the Leopards tournament run in 2019.  To see a preview of more teams, every YSN team in fact, check out YSN’s series “Headed Home” which will have a preview of every softball and baseball team in the YSN family.

YSN Alums

*All stats and numbers are as of March 26th

We will be staying updated on YSN alums as they play in college all season long.  This week I want to update everyone on Champion’s aces Allison Smith, and Sophie Howell who are both making immediate impacts in the circle for their teams.  Allison Smith has already started 5 games, and appeared in 10 for Ohio State.  The Buckeyes are playing a conference only schedule this season, but the Big 10 has not intimidated Smith.  She leads the team in ERA with a clip of 1.64.  She has struck out 42 batters already early in her freshman season.  Smith also has 3 complete games to her credit, and a save.  Sophie Howell is another former Golden Flash that is making an immediate impact in the circle as a freshman.  For Youngstown State, Howell has thrown 23.2 innings for the Penguins, who are very deep in the circle.  Howell has started 4 games for the Penguins and a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 4.73.  That ERA can be a bit inflated with lower innings pitched.  Howell has 22 strike outs and just 7 walks on the year so far. Also with YSU, former Cardinal Mooney catcher Conchetta Rinaldi has started 16 out of the 18 games the Penguins have played.  Rinaldi has a batting average of .275 right now and has hit a HR with 4 RBI. Former Poland Bulldog Kaili Gross has appeared in two games for Case Western Reserve and has an ERA so far of 2.33 with 4 K’s. We will stay up to date on more, and more softball alums as the season goes along and more teams get into full gear.  Several college teams have just now started their season.  If you know of a YSN alum that is doing well in the college ranks be sure to let us know on the YSN socials and I will make sure to add them to the blog.

Special Guest: Morgan Howe

Morgan Howe was a guest on the Hot Corner last summer as she was getting ready to start her professional career with Athletes Unlimited. She has quickly become a big supporter of the blog as the summer went on, so what better way to kick off the new season than by catching up with her. To say she had a successful venture into the professional ranks would be an understatement.  Morgan got 51 at bats over the season, and hit .333.  She also gathered 3 HR’s and 12 RBI. Morgan says the ability to grow and learn with some of the world’s best players was an unbelievable experience.  She has had a hectic offseason, as she went from her time with AU to Florida to join the Gators as a graduate assistant.  She got a call asking her to join the FGCL (Florida Golf Coast League) in a trip to play in Spain.  Forced to make a difficult decision Morgan stepped away from the Florida position for the chance to continue playing, and travel to Spain.

In college, Morgan split her time between Fresno State, and then transferring to Arizona State.  As a Sun Devil, Howe hit a career clip of .380.  She hit 20 HRs and hit in 103 RBI.  Howe was named 2nd Team All-Pac 12 in 2018.

 

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HEADED HOME: CHAMPION GOLDEN FLASHES BASEBALL PREVIEW

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WARREN, OH – As the weather begins to heat up, the Champion Golden Flashes are doing the same! Head coach Rich Yauger and the Golden Flashes are excited and ready to make another run at an MVAC title and then some! The Golden Flashes are led by a great group of seniors that are all in and are excited to get back on the diamond. Coach Yauger will rely heavily on those seniors to teach the “Champion way” to the underclassmen to continue the success of the program as the season and their careers progress.

Check out this special baseball sneak peak at the Champion Golden Flashes as YSN’s own, Billy McCartney and Quinn Puskar, was able to talk with head coach, Rich Yauger!