SYCAMORE — At the Mohawk American Legion Softball Field Saturday, Elmwood softball swept a doubleheader, defeating host Mohawk, 18-6 and shutting out Cardington-Lincoln, 13-0.
The Royals won both games by mercy rule, the opener in six innings and the second game in five innings.
In the opener, Kate Keiffer hit for the cycle with two home runs and Kennadie Plouck also belted a home run, and in the second game, Ashland University-bound Maddie Milligan picked up the shutout win in the circle and had a home run.
Keiffer, who also had a triple, double, and two base hits, was 5-for-5 with four RBIs and scored four times in the opener.
Mariela Garcia was 3-for-5 with a double and RBI, Plouck was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, and also had a double to add to her round-tripper, and Dakota Rader-King was 3-for-3 with an RBI in leading a 21-hit attack.
Abigail Allison was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI, Kynzie Science was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Cara Frank was 2-for-5 for the Royals. Milligan also had a base hit.
Garcia, Keiffer and Allison had stolen bases and Science reached after getting hit by a pitch. Despite scoring 18 runs, the Royals left nine base runners stranded.
Milligan started in the circle, striking out three, walking none, and allowing one hit and one run through two innings, and Keiffer pitched the final four innings, striking out four, walking two, and allowing four hits and four earned runs.
In the second game, Milligan nearly repeated her performance in the circle, striking out three, walking none, and allowing two hits and no runs through four innings. She needed just 47 pitches, including 33 strikes, in facing 14 batters.
Keiffer closed, walking just one and allowing no hits or runs in the fifth.
At the plate against the Pirates, Elmwood had 10 hits, as Garcia was 3-for-3 with an RBI and A Allison was 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs, scoring three times.
Keiffer and Plouck had doubles and Trinity Sander and Rader-King had base hits for the Royals. Science had a sacrifice bunt, Sander was hit by a pitch, and Allison, Garcia and Keiffer had stolen bases.
However, in Northern Buckeye Conference action on Friday, the Royals lost at Genoa, 4-1, as the Comets’ pitcher Kaylin Shields struck out 10, walked one, and limited the Royals to two hits through seven innings. Shields threw 99 pitches, including 65 strikes, in facing 27 batters.
Milligan took the loss for the Royals after striking out seven, walking one, and allowing seven hits and four runs through six innings. All five runs were scored in the first inning, and Milligan and Shields pitched shutout softball after that.
For the Royals, Science had a double, RBI, and was hit by a pitch, and A Allison had base hit and stolen base, scoring the only run of Science’s double in the first inning.
Maddie Bronowski led Genoa at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Emerson Bickel was 2-for-2 and Shields, Victoria Plantz, and Marin Butler had base hits. Butler was hit by a pitch, and Bickel and Bronowski had stolen bases.
