Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – With four freshman or eighth-graders starters the Solon lineup is a little younger than in previous years.

As the Spartans demonstrated Monday in the opening game of a WAMAC doubleheader with West Delaware they are as dangerous as ever.

Three different players smacked home runs in a 7-0 Solon win in the opener as the Class 3A fourth-ranked Spartans split a WAMAC East doubleheader with 4A No. 9 West Delaware in Solon.

“As you saw in the first game we have a great hitting team,” Solon senior Skylar Stookey said. “I am really excited to see how well we keep progressing because we are so young.”

Stookey, junior Kayla West and eighth-grader Hilary Wilson all homered in the opener as Solon (12-4, 12-2 WAMAC) banged out seven hits.

West Delaware (14-4, 11-1) salvaged a split with a 1-0 win in the nightcap behind a three-hit shutout from junior Macey Kleitsch.

“I am so proud of these kids and how they played today,” Solon coach Erin White said. “Winning is out of your control, they did the things that they need to do and sometimes the other team gets the win so it’s about how we react tomorrow at practice and how we respond to that.”

Solon showed its pop early in the opener taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-run blast to left field by Wilson.

It was the fourth home run of the season for Wilson who leads the Spartans with a .519 batting average and has driven in 24 runs in her debut season.

The early blast from Wilson proved to be plenty for West who allowed six hits while holding the Hawks scoreless for the just the third time in 18 games this season.

West struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter in the complete game win.

“My screwball was working, I threw it almost the whole entire game,” West said. “It depends on the team but most of the time I can have success with that pitch.”

Solon continued to build on its early lead.

Senior table setter Taylor Ryan led off the third with a single, stole second and third and scored on a Stookey RBI to make it 3-0 Solon.

Stookey then broke the game open with a line drive, three-run home run to center field in the fifth that put Solon up 6-0.

The drive by Stookey on a 2-2 fastball just climbed over the top of the fence on a line for her team-leading seventh home run of the season.

I didn’t think it was going out I thought it was going to line right off the fence,” Stookey said. “I’ve always been told not to look at the ball so I just keep running until someone tells me to stop.”

West added a solo shot down the left field line in the sixth inning to cap the Solon scoring.

“We have actually been hitting really well this year, the second game we had a little struggle but that happens,” West said. “All the way through the line we’ve been hitting the ball well all season.”

Solon got a stellar outing from freshman Carly Ellison in the nightcap but couldn’t mount any offense against Kleitsch.

Ellison allowed just an unearned run in the sixth and seven hits while striking out two in a complete game.

“She’s been pitching great, she does her job,” White said. “She does her job and our defense is starting to get more solid behind her which really helps.”

West Delaware scored in the go-ahead run in in the sixth on an error and Solon had its best chance to get on the board in the bottom of the inning.

The Spartans loaded the bases with one out on singles by Ryan and Wilson and an intentional walk to Stookey.

Taylor Moore lined a shot to second baseman Heather Heims who made the catch and flipped to first for the inning-ending double play.

Game 1

West Delaware          000  000  0  –  0  6  1

Solon                           201  031  x  –  7  7  2

W – Kayla West                      L – Emily Klosterman

2B – SOL: Skylar Stookey. WD: Eve Wedewer

HR – SOL: Hilary Wilson, Skylar Stookey, Kayla West  

Game 2

West Delaware          000  001  0  –  1  7  1

Solon                           000  000  0  –  0  3  1

W – Macey Kleitsch               L – Carly Ellison  

2B – WD: Ella Koloc

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