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Sports

Strongsville's Bats Take the Day Off

Lady Mustangs drop tough game to Pioneers 4-1

Gloom set in April 11 on the Lady Mustangs' softball field, and it wasn't all weather related. While the clouds scattered rain drops before and throughout the game, the visiting Elyria Pioneers brought their own kind of doom to the contest.

The Strongsville Mustangs entered Monday afternoon's game 4-1 on the season --a season in which poor weather has limited play for many teams in the area. "I hope we get this one in," was the comment of head coach Jeanette Howard. She was anxious to put her team up against one of the better teams in the Cleveland area, especially since the Mustangs have really played well as of late.

As light rain continued to fall, the game got under way. The first inning went quickly for both teams. The top of the second inning was all Strongsville ace Emily Kolezynski as she struck out Elyria's  4, 5 and 6 batters, recording three of her four strikeouts of the game.

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Excitement struck for the home team in the bottom of the second inning as junior Lauren Reitz and senior Danielle Kountz started the inning with back-to-back singles. After a wild pitch  and a strikeout, the Mustangs scored their lone run of the game on a second wild pitch by Elyria's  heralded senior pitcher Kristen Boros.  The run gave the Mustangs their first and only lead of the game.

After a quiet third inning from both teams, the Elyria Pioneers got down to business. Boros got things rolling with a one-out single. A walk and an infield single loaded the bases for a shot into the right-center field gap by Roseboro, scoring two. A snap throw by Strongsville catcher Natalie Mariano to nail a runner at second, along with a 6-3 ground out ended the inning, but not before the Pioneers took a 2-1 advantage.

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While the Mustangs had no answer for Butler University recruit Boros, the Pioneer bats were not done. Elyria's Houser opened the fifth inning with a standup double down the right field line. Two sacrifices followed and scored Houser. Center fielder Williams then singled and scored on a double by Boros. A foul out to third baseman Nicole Kountz ended the inning, but not before the Pioneers added 2 more to their total.

The Mustangs went quietly in the sixth and flew out three times in the final frame, ending the game at 4-1.

"We hit the ball, just right at their players," was the overview of Howard.  The Mustangs went "three up and three down" in six of the game's seven innings.

Elyria finished the game with four runs on 11 hits and improved their record to 6-2. Boros threw a masterful game for the Pioneers, allowing only two hits, no walks, and striking out five.

The Lady Mustangs' record drops to 4-2 on the season as they head to North Royalton on Wednesday (4/13). The Mustangs will then return home to host the crosstown rival Brunswick Blue Devils on Monday, April 18. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

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