LANCASTER — It seems like the high school spring sports season just started and yet, here we are. The postseason is already underway .
On the diamond
The high school softball tournament started this week and several area teams have already advanced after playing opening-round games.
In Division I, Lancaster opened with a 17-0 win over Thomas Worthington. The Lady Gales, who are a No. 2 seed and expected to make a long tournament run, were scheduled to play Independence on Thursday. The district tournament begins next week.
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In Division II, Bloom-Carroll edged North Union 1-0 in its opening-round game to earn a spot in the district semifinals, while Fairfield Union fell short in their Southeast District Division II tournament opener, falling 7-5 against Athens.
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In Division III, Liberty Union opened with a 12-2, six-inning win over Marion Elgin. The Lions advance to a district semifinal and will host Fredericktown on Monday. Amanda-Clearcreek’s season came to an end after the Aces lost 6-0 against Marion Pleasant.
In Division IV, Fisher Catholic, fresh off a Mid-State League-Cardinal Division championship, cruised to a 17-0 first-round tournament win over cross-town rival Fairfield Union. The Irish was set to host Millersport on Thursday with a district semifinal appearance on the line. The Lakers advanced after a 3-2 win over Madison Christian. Berne Union was scheduled to open tournament play on Thursday against Ridgedale.
The high school baseball tournament starts next week with sectional games.
Track and Field
Area track and field teams began their postseason this week with league meets, including Lancaster hosting the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division championships at Fulton Field on Saturday.
The Mid-State League-Buckeye Division meet, being held at Fairfield Union, has already started and will finish on Friday, and the same for the MSL-Cardinal Division, which is being held at Millersport.
All the league meets are followed by the district meet (May 13-18), and regional (May 22-25), and ends at the state meet on May 30 and June 1 at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium.
Prime Time Players
Fairfield Union junior Christian Thompson, who has already committed to play volleyball at Ohio University, just keeps breaking records. On April 26, she broke the school record in the high jump (5 feet, 6 inches), and on Wednesday at the MSL-Buckeye Division league meet, she broke the school record again at 5-7, which is also a new meet record.
Fairfield Union’s Gunnar George won two league titles on Wednesday by winning the shot put (49-4) and discus (153-2, a personal record).
Fisher Catholic junior catcher Ava Brue had a big night in the Irish’s 17-0 tournament win over FCA after she collected three hits, including two home runs in the same inning. It was her sixth and seventh home runs of the season. She has 27 RBIs and 12 stolen bases for the 19-3 Irish.
Bloom-Carroll sophomore pitcher Maddi Walters was dominating in the circle, and she had to be as the Bulldogs pulled out a 1-0 Division II tournament win over North Union. Walters gave up one hit in the shutout win and finished with 12 strikeouts.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster, Bloom-Carroll among teams finding early success in state softball tournament
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