ONTARIO — John Davis could rest easy Friday night and not because his fitness app informed him he walked 21,000 steps and climbed 28 flights of stairs earlier in the day.
For the first time in three years the Mid-Ohio Spring Classic went off without a hitch and Davis, the event’s organizer, couldn’t have been happier.
“I slept well knowing all of the games were going to get played,” Davis said on a cool and breezy — and, most importantly, dry — Saturday morning.
“This is the first time since 2021 that any games were played on Saturday.”
The tournament, formerly known as the Wendy’s Spring Classic and contested on the natural fields at Ashland’s Brookside Park and Brookside West for the past 30 years, was moved to the artificial surfaces at Marshall Park this year.
A handful of games were played on Ontario’s high school field Saturday and the Warriors, who were 2-1 and finished fifth in the eight-team Red Pool, served as the host school.
“I graduated from Bucyrus High School and I remember we would get excited when we got the invite to go to Wendy’s,” said first-year Ontario coach Jamee Burke. “The fact that we get to have that here at Ontario in huge.
“It’s exciting for our girls because it all kind of feels like a home game and you get to see some of the best competition in the state.”
The Warriors opened tournament play Friday with a 9-2 loss to Marlington. Ontario bounced back with a 10-6 win over Loudonville on Friday and capped their tournament with a 14-2 drubbing of Hubbard on Saturday.
“Playing in a tournament like this will help us prepare for the postseason,” Burke said. “Even the format is similar. You don’t really know who you are going to play after the first game.”
Lebanon, ranked ninth in Division I in the first softball coaches association state poll, won the Red Pool with a 3-0 record. The Warriors beat Massillon Perry 16-2 in the championship game.
Loudonville beat Ashland 12-2 in the Red Pool seventh-place game. The Redbirds were 1-2 on the weekend while the Arrows were 0-3.
Anthony Wayne, ranked third in Division I, won the White Pool championship with a 4-0 win over Division IV No. 4 Portsmouth Notre Dame. Anthony Wayne, which is ranked 11th nationally, was 3-0.
Danville, which is ranked fifth in Division IV, was 2-1 and finished fifth in the White Pool. The Blue Devils dropped their opener to Notre Dame but bounced back Saturday with a 9-0 win over Mathews and an 18-1 win over Hillsdale in the fifth-place game.
The Falcons, who were making their 30th appearance in the event, were 1-2. Hillsdale fell to Upper Sandusky on Friday before knocking off Elyria 12-1 in Saturday’s early game.
“We always like coming to the tournament because we get to see really good competition,” said Hillsdale coach Hannah Moore, who has participated in the event as a player and coach. “Not getting to play the last couple of years has been a big bummer for all the teams.
“Getting to play games this year has been awesome.”
Two-time defending Division IV state champ Strasburg won the four-team round-robin Blue Pool. The Tigers were 3-0.