May 9, 2024
HEADED HOME — Big Red’s Sena Smith bolts home from third after a teammate put the ball in the play during Wednesday’s East District sectional tournament win over Zanesville at the Crimson Complex. Big Red won, 25-0. – Andrew Grimm
STEUBENVILLE — The Big Red softball team’s tournament run started similar to the way it did a year ago — taking care of business against a young team at home.
Now, they look make it last similarly as long as last spring’s run.
Big Red, the reigning East District and regional champion, opened its quest to return to Akron by jumping on young Zanesville early and rolling to a 25-0 victory in the sectional opener at the Crimson Complex.
“We were ready to play,” Big Red head coach Gus DiMarzio said. “You have to be ready to play every day.
“We started (the tournament) last year the same way (a 24-0 win over East Liverpool at home), we started the same way so hopefully (it’s a long run again) and we get a little better result at the end.”
Big Red (15-7), the No. 5 seed, scored five runs before the 20th-seeded Blue Devils (0-22) recorded an out on the way to a 13-0 lead after one inning. Steubenville tacked on three more in the second and plated nine in the third to provide the final margin.
Zanesville pitchers issued 20 free passes (17 walks, three hit batters) and Big Red racked up 13 hits.
“You give them credit, they came and played and tried,” DiMarzio said of Zanesville. “They’re young, they’re going to learn as they go. I give them a lot of credit.”
Sophia Zorne had a single, double and four RBIs, Gia Bowman drove in three runs with a triple, double and single and Sena Smith plated a pair of runs, as did Bailee Beall and Riley Zorne.
In the circle, Katie Renforth spun a one-hit shutout, striking out seven without issuing a walk.
Thanks to an upset in their part of the bracket, Big Red will get a second round home game back at the Crimson Complex on Friday. They will face No. 9 seed West Muskingum (18-7), who toppled fourth-seeded West Holmes on Wednesday night, 12-3.
“Every game gets harder, we have to be prepared every day,” DiMarzio said. “We have to be ready to play a really good team, it’s not going to be easy.
“We’re going to come to practice (today) and try to get better. We have to be ready to go on Friday.”
OHSAA Division II East District
Sectional tournament
No. 5 Big Red 25, No. 20 Zanesville 0
Zanesville 0-0-0 0-0 – 0 1 3
Big Red 13-3-9 0-x – 25 13 0
ZANESVILLE (0-22): Gladden (LP, 3IP, 25R, 15ER, 0K, 15BB, 3HBP), Murgatoryd (1IP, 0R, 1H, 0K, 2BB) and Shahan. Gladden S.
BIG RED (15-7): Renforth (WP, CG, 0R, 1H, 7K, 0BB) and Smarrella. Bowman T, D, S, 3RBI; Smith S, 2RBI; Smarrella S, RBI; S. Zorne S, D, 4RBI; Beall S, RBI; R. Zorne 2S, 2RBI; Cramer S; Tuttle RBI; Meyer RBI; Smith RBI; Clutter S, RBI; Fogle RBI; Aiko S, RBI; Chamberlain RBI.
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