The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Avon Lake gets help on offense in win over Westlake
It ultimately ended up a pretty “sweet” day for the Westlake Demons softball team.
The Demons dropped their Senior Day contest vs. Avon Lake 11-0 in a contest that was stopped after five innings because of the 10run mercy rule.
But after the game the girls on both teams got to snack on cupcakes that were served up out of a special cupcake van that that was brought in to help the Westlake seniors celebrate a ritual of high school sports — Senior Day.
It’s been a long softball season for both schools. Avon Lake entered the contest just 4-13 and 2-9 in the SWC while Westlake was 5-15 and winless (0-11) in conference.
Despite the lackluster records, both teams gave a maximum effort.
Westlake senior third baseman Maddie Stanco said she and her senior teammates just wanted to have fun and accomplished just that, despite coming up on the short end of the scoreboard.
“Our coach wanted to start all seniors today so we kind of played different positions, switched it up and had a little fun. It
was a little rough but we just wanted to relive how we played when we were younger,” said Stanco.
Some of the Westlake girls commenced their careers together s on t-ball teams when they weren’t even 5-years-old, Stanco said. A lot of memories have been created on dusty ball fields as the years have worn on. Stanco said she’s tried to count how many games she’s played in her career but has given up trying to figure it out.
“I’ve been playing with these girls probably my whole life, like 14 years. Just all the memories we have on the field and off the field, just going to the beach, just making sure we have memories to live by,” said Stanco when asked to reflect on the season and her career.
Green and white balloons, Westlake’s colors, were tied to the fence that ran along first base side of the field adding a dash of color to the proceeding and giving the stadium a festive feel.
Westlake coach Tom Shiban said his seniors faced an uphill battle coming into the year after losing a year of experience when Covid caused the cancellation of the high school softball season last spring.
“They battled through it and got to play a sport they love all spring long, which is great. We’re super proud of them. Today didn’t go the way we wanted it to as far as the scoreboard, but I think the girls had a lot of fun and they are making memories that will last a lifetime,” Shiban said.
Avon Lake made some memories, too, as the Shore Gals sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs in the first inning. That would be all Avon Lake freshman pitcher Avery Orille would need. Orille allowed just four hits and struck out five in going the distance and picked up the win.
Orille was called for two illegal pitches in the first inning but didn’t let that to get in her head.
“I just focused on hitting all my spots because my mechanics have been real good lately,” Orille said.
Avon Lake senior left fielder Haleigh Votruba’s first-inning bases-load triple gave the Shore Gals a 4-0 and the rout was on. Senior shortstop Allison Peachman, daughter of Shore Gals coach Jana Peachman, went 2-for-4 with a triple and scored three runs. Catcher Kiley Boutin 1-for-2, scored a run and drove in a run. The Shore Gals hit the ball hard up and down the line up. They scored five times in the fifth inning as they batted around.
“It’s nice to see the bats going again,” Jana Peachman said. “We’ve really been trying to work on not leaving runners on base. Tonight we just got the hits and moved those runners around and it ended in our favor.”
But back to Orille. Only a freshman, she seems to have wisdom beyond her years. When asked what she’s learned in a year in which her team has struggled to win games she gave an answer worth remembering.
“That it’s not all about winning. I’m very competitive so I always want to win. But I’ve learned that winning doesn’t mean everything. It’s more about the memories and being there for your team,” Orille said.