PAINESVILLE–Chagrin Falls downed host Harvey, 14-11, in a back-and-forth affair for a Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division win on Thursday.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first. After three innings of play, the two teams were tied at 5-5, but a five-spot in the fourth gave the Tigers the edge.
“This year, we’re coming out with a lot of grit,” said Chagrin Falls head coach Whitney Garrett. “We defeated ourselves. We had a lot of issues with confidence, but we were able to get over it and believe in our abilities. Altogether, we have a solid team when everything clicks, which is what happened tonight.”
The Tigers started their first-inning rally with Lexi Kaseler working a leadoff walk and a Peyton Pierce single.
Bridgette Edwards and Mia Beavers each connected on RBI singles to quickly put Chagrin Falls on top 3-0, and Beavers would cross home on a wild pitch to put them up by four after one inning.
Harvey created a rally of its own, starting with Veronica Pacheco reaching on an error before scoring on an RBI triple by Payton Robertson to put the Red Raiders on the board.
Robertson scored on a wild pitch to cut into the deficit, but Chagrin Falls held a 4-2 lead after one.
The Tigers got one run back Ella Stec scored on Pierce’s RBI double to left center.
Harvey threatened in the bottom half of the inning when Dana Ramirez, Jealeiny Serrano, and Milli Padron all reached safely, but Beavers worked out of the bases-loaded jam with a pair of strikeouts and she coaxed a popup to keep Chagrin’s 5-2 lead intact.
Harvey rallied in the bottom of the third inning, scoring a three-spot in the home half of the third inning to tie the game.
Alyssia Franklin hit a leadoff single and would score on Giselle Moreno’s RBI single. Ramirez recorded an RBI on a groundout, with Robertson scoring, to cut the Red Raiders’ deficit to one.
Serrano reached on an error that plated Moreno to tie the game at 5-5 heading to the fourth.
Chagrin Falls responded with a five-spot in the fourth to turn the tide in its favor.
“Our whole thing is intensity and to ‘Fire it up,’” Garrett said. “Sometimes, we tend to come out a little flat. We have been trying to reiterate to them that the energy needs to be up off the bus and not to get comfortable or settle down. We have to keep the foot on the gas pedal and keep it going.”
Caroline Reeder started the rally when she was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches, and she scored on a passed ball.
Gina Ponikvar and Stec both were hit by pitches and moved up a base on a wild pitch. Ponikvar plated another run on a wild pitch and Stec scored on Kaseler’s groundout.
Pierce then drew a walk and Beavers and Sophi Hill hit back-to-back RBI singles that gave the Tigers a 10-5 lead.
The Red Raiders pulled to within 10-7 with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Jayla Holloway clobbered a leadoff solo home run and Ramirez would later single home Robertson, who was hit by a pitch.
Chagrin Falls countered immediately with Reeder leading off with a double and Ponikvar working a walk. Both players scored on Stec’s two-run single that pushed the lead back to five runs.
The Red Raiders remained persistent and scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Franklin drew a leadoff walk and Roberston doubled. Franklin scored on a Ramirez groundout and Roberston scored on a passed ball.
Chagrin Falls added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh.
Reeder hit a leadoff single, Ponikvar walked, and Kaseler singled home both runners, giving the Tigers a 14-9 lead.
Harvey loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning but managed only two runs after Isla Barakas was hit by a pitch and Cruz and Holloway both walked.
The Tigers turned a double play on a line drive off the bat of Pacheco. Pierce caught the ball and threw to third base to double up the runner.
Franklin doubled home two runs but a popout ended the game.
“It’s huge (to win this game),” Garrett said of the win over Harvey. “We say every time we break the huddle at the end of games, ‘Believe’ because we have to believe in ourselves, our abilities, and our teammates.’ That’s the biggest thing; we have a lot of talented girls, a lot of growth, and solid people, but we have to continually work together. That’s the biggest piece. We had some serious grit because we wanted to win this game.”
Chagrin Falls got the fast start, fire, and energy it had been seeking for the previous seven games of the year.
“To be able to come out with the intensity from the bus to the bench, that’s our biggest thing,” Garrett said of her team’s fast offensive start. “To continue that rolling that intensity, not letting one error lead to (more successive errors), and compound as we go on, that’s the confidence piece for us. If we can keep that confidence piece in and not compound on our errors, then we should be a heck of a team.”
Pierce led the Tigers’ offense with a 3-for-4 day at the plate. She plated two runs and knocked in another.
Kaseler drove in three runs and Beavers and Stec drove in two runs for the Tigers. Hill, Beavers, and Reeder each collected multi-hit games in the victory.
Beavers picked up the win in the circle by going the distance with seven earned runs on nine hits with six walks and six strikeouts.
Ramirez led Harvey’s offense as she finished the night 2-for-4 with three RBI. Franklin finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
Ramirez takes the pitching loss after working 3 2/3 innings with four earned runs on six hits, three walks, and two strikeouts.
Pacheco started for Harvey and worked 3 1/3 innings with six earned runs on four hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.
Harvey hosts Hawken on April 26 while Chagrin Falls will host Orange on April 29.
