TOP OF THE CROP

Softball

1: 2: (3) Chardon 4-2 3: 4: (2) Mentor 5-3 5: 6: 7: (8) South 3-0 8: (6) NDCL 0-1 9: (1) Riverside 6-3 (4) North 5-2 (5) Gilmour 2-0 (7) Perry 5-2 (10) Madison 0-1 10: (9) Geneva 0-3

Crop comments: Early results, aside from games played out of state, are still relatively sketchy. But this week’s (semi) good weather forecast should give us a better idea of the area’s strength. There are plenty of Crop head-to-head battles on tap. … Riverside stays atop the list at 6-3. The Beavers crushed Massillon Perry (15-5) and Hillsdale (24-5) last week, big primers for this week’s schedule, which includes games against Chardon and Mentor. … Chardon moves up to No. 2. The battery of pitcher Jenna Hendricks and catcher Mackenzie Kilpeck is arguably the best in the area. Playing Riverside, North (twice) and South this week will be a big proving ground for the Hilltoppers. … North moves up to No. 3 with a 9-5 win over No. 4 Mentor last week. A game with Mayfield and a double-dip with Chardon could propel the Rangers even higher in the Crop. … Mentor lost to North, but only drops to No. 4. Games against Strongsville and Medina, leading up to a an April 11game against Riverside, could get the Cardinals back on track. … Gilmour improved to 2-0 over the weekend. The No. 5 Lancers play Hoban, Howland and Solon this week. … Perry moves up to No. 6after piling up 33 runs in a doubleheader win over Kirtland. The Pirates play Edgewood, Geneva and Jefferson this week. … South moves up to No. 7this week and might be underrated after scoring 50 runs in wins over St. Joseph Academy, Jefferson and Kenston. In time, the Rebels will get their shot to see where they stand in a loaded WRC. … NDCL lost to Perry County Central on its spring break trip. The Lions face Magnificat, Bay and North this week. … The final two spots for the Crop are up in the air. But we’ll still go with winless Madison (0-1) and Geneva (0-3) over the rest based on what they have returning from last year in key positions. Of course, that only gets you so far. There are plenty of other teams itching to get into the Crop if the Blue Streaks and Eagles aren’t able to ratchet things up with the weather improving this week.