When Pymatuning Valley and St. John were scheduled to meet in NAC Stars play back on April 20, the matchup was billed as a clash of the division’s two unbeaten teams. Rain had other ideas, washing out what promised to be one of the marquee games of the conference season. Monday evening, the two teams finally get their shot at each other — and the stakes have only grown since that rainout.
Since April 20, PV hit a brief rough patch, dropping a 7-3 decision at Cardinal in a game where the bats went quiet and the errors piled up. But what followed has been one of the more dominant stretches any team in Northeast Ohio has put together this spring. The Lady Lakers have reeled off four consecutive wins by a combined margin of 59-1, a run that included three shutouts, two perfect games, victories from all three pitchers on the staff, and just four hits and one run allowed across the entire stretch. Three of those four wins came in NAC Stars play, moving the Lakers back atop the Northeastern Athletic Conference softball standings in the division. The Lady Lakers now sit at 9-5 overall and 6-1 in the division, firmly in the driver’s seat of the Stars race.
St. John’s path since the rainout has been considerably bumpier. The Heralds dropped a 12-3 decision to Madison before bouncing back with a 15-10 NAC Stars win over Grand Valley and a 4-2 non-conference victory over Conneaut. But a 13-2 loss to Cardinal in NAC Stars play was a significant blow, leaving St. John at 6-6 overall and 3-1 in divisional games. The Heralds have won the games they needed to stay relevant in the race, but the Cardinal loss was a reminder that nothing comes easy down the stretch.
The scheduling picture adds another layer of urgency to Monday’s game. With OHSAA tournament play beginning on May 13, St. John has just ten days to complete their remaining NAC Stars schedule — and with only four divisional games played, they have ground to make up in a hurry. Unless the Heralds can schedule games around the opening rounds of tournament play, time is working against them, especially with rain predicted much of this week. Every remaining NAC game carries maximum weight, and a loss to PV on Monday would put them in a very difficult position.
On the mound, senior Izzy Holler remains the key to St. John’s chances. She is a dual threat who can take over a game with her arm or her bat — and PV’s offense, which has been on an absolute tear, will test her in ways few opponents have this season. However, the elder Holler sister needs her defense to step up – something the Heralds have struggled with committing 23 errors in their last 4 games. McKenna Jordan continues to be the engine that makes the Lady Lakers go, and the middle of the order featuring Kailee Reynolds, Peyton Hudson, and Macie Payne — each with double-digit RBI on the season — remains as dangerous as any in the conference. The Holler sisters and catcher Rylee Frasure will need to be at their best to keep PV off the board.
Defense will again be a storyline worth watching. PV has cleaned things up dramatically over their four-game winning streak, playing clean ball at a critical time of the season. St. John’s error issues have been well-documented, and against a PV lineup with this much speed at the top and this many dangerous bats, mistakes in the field tend to snowball quickly.
Monday’s game at St. John is about as meaningful as a regular season NAC Stars game gets. For PV, a win would tighten their grip on the division title with limited time left on the schedule. For St. John, anything less than a win would leave them needing near-perfect results down the stretch — with a clock that is already ticking loudly.