LEWIS CENTER — The mercy rule is in the books for a reason.
The Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets softball team took advantage of that rule on Monday to rout the Teays Valley Vikings, 18-1, in six innings to claim the Division II Central District championship.
The Vikings entered the game with a 21-7 record and a spotless 14-0 conference mark.
After thrashing an opponent head coach Ryan Pentz earlier referred to as “a tough draw,” the coach said of his own team, “I think they now know they are special.”
Pentz pointed out that the road to the championship had a few bumps.
“We have had our battles this year, and we have fought hard, mentally and physically. I think moving forward, they now know what they are capable of, and they now know they can do it,” he said.
Last year, Pentz led his team to a second-place state finish, with the Lady Jackets falling to Painesville Riverside, 8-6.
When asked about that team, the coach showed a rare moment of emotion.
Looking down at the goosebumps on his arm, he said, “You know, to lose seven special seniors and only have three on varsity now — those three have shown us great leadership.”
Scarbury controls the circle
Pitcher Jocelyn Scarbury pitched a complete game with the temperature edging above the 80-degree mark.
Referring to her performance, Pentz said, “It helps when you have such a force in the circle.”
“Jocelyn threw another great game. She will come out and keep you in ballgames,” the coach said.
Pentz credited the pre-season trip to Florida in helping his hurler handle the first real heat of the season.
“She was lucky she had Florida, to throw on the turf. It is always warmer on the turf. I think the heat in Florida helped her a lot on a night like tonight,” he said.
Scarbury agreed.
“It (the Florida trip) prepared us a lot in all aspects, not just in building us as a team but also in things like endurance,” she said.
As she toed the rubber for the Lady Jackets, Scarbury knew she had her work cut out for her.
“The change(up) helped a lot. They were good hitters, so it kept them off balance a lot,” she said. “My spin was breaking really well, and I felt like I was in a good groove because my team gave me a lot to work with.”
An offensive avalanche
The Jackets did indeed give their pitcher a lot to work with.
They held a modest 3-1 lead at the end of the first stanza, thanks to Hailey Rudrick, who with one on and one out blasted a home run over the center field fence.
Sarbury helped her own cause in the second, drilling a bases-loaded double down the right field line to clear the bases.
After a scoreless third, the Lady Jackets erupted again in the fourth.
Gabby Beck and Rudrick hit back-to-back home runs, stretching the lead to 8-1.
Isla Graham laid down a bunt in the fifth inning with two runners on base. The Viking catcher overthrew first base, allowing two more Jackets runs to cross the dish.
Things only deteriorated for the home team Vikings in the top of the sixth.
Fueled by home runs off of the bats of Lexi Ringwalt and Layla Joyner and another two-run blast from Rudrick, her third of the ight, the Jackets plated eight runs.
Standing on the first base line following the awards ceremony, Rudrick talked about her day at the plate.
“I’m a captain, so I have to lead my team. I try to stay focused,” she said.
What is her focus?
“I sit there and think about timing. I do have a timing problem, so if something goes wrong, I know it’s my timing. But my timing was on today,” she said.
The Jackets’ next stop will be in Crestline on Thursday, where they will face the Uniontown Green Bulldogs. The first pitch is set for 5 p.m.
(Photos by Dan Werner.)
