The Pymatuning Valley Lady Lakers continued their dominant stretch of softball on Tuesday, rolling past Youngstown East 15-0 in four innings to run their winning streak to four games and improve to 9-5 on the season. It has been about as dominant a four-game run as you will find anywhere in Northeast Ohio this spring.
Kailee Reynolds was the offensive star of the afternoon, going 4-for-4 with five RBI and hitting for the cycle in the process — tripling in the first, singling in the third, and capping her day with a two-run home run to center field in the fourth. Khloe Haines had perhaps the biggest single swing of the early innings, clearing the bases with a three-run single in the second to blow the game open. Mackenzie Kribbs also had a strong day at the plate with multiple hits, while McKenna Jordan drew two walks and stole two bases in her typically disruptive fashion. Macie Payne was a constant presence on the bases as well, reaching multiple times and scoring.
Kribbs handled pitching duties for four innings, allowing just two hits and zero runs while striking out three. Peyton Hudson came on in relief and was equally stingy, tossing a perfect inning with three strikeouts to close things out.
The four-game winning streak has been nothing short of remarkable from a pitching and defensive standpoint. Three shutouts, two perfect games, wins from all three pitchers on the staff, and just four hits and one run allowed across the entire stretch — while outscoring opponents 59-1. For a team that had some defensive growing pains earlier in the season, the Lady Lakers look like an entirely different club right now.
At 6-1 in the NAC Stars Division, PV now turns its attention to Wednesday’s home showdown with Mathews, and it is every bit as significant as the standings suggest. The Mustangs enter at 9-9 overall but a very respectable 5-3 in NAC Stars play, sitting fourth in the division after dropping a 10-9 heartbreaker to Cardinal earlier today. Mathews is a battle-tested team that will not be intimidated by the moment — and with Cardinal watching closely, a PV win Wednesday would go a long way toward controlling their own destiny in the Stars race. The Lady Lakers will be ready.