Riverside got back in the groove.
The Lady Pirates returned home Monday and rolled to a 13-1 win over Troy Christian in Three Rivers Conference action.
Riverside moves to 3-1 in the TRC and 9-5 overall.
Winning pitcher Riley Dillon allowed just two hits and had no walks. She struck out nine.
Brook Hunkler smacked two balls over the fence for home runs, a solo shot in the second and a two-run blast in the fourth.
Jayden Hoffer led off the third with a homer, and also had a two-run double. Riley and Taylor Dillon had doubles as well, with two RBIs for Riley. Aubree Huston drove in one run.
Troy Christian’s Ella Dersham took the loss. She pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing nine runs on 10 hits, with four walks and six strikeouts. Kate Dersham finished the fourth inning, charged with four runs on one hit and one walk.
Ella Dersham had a solo home run in the third.
Pirates coach Andy Phelps said that Ella Dersham is a decent pitcher. “She’s got great movement. It took a little bit for us to time her up, and once we did, everything started spiraling and everybody started to hit well.”
He praised Dillon’s work in the pitching circle, noting “she kept the ball low, she hit her corners, and kept them off balance.”
Ella Dersham led off for the Eagles. She hit a grounder to shortstop. The throw across pulled Avery Perk just slightly off the first base bag. Dillon then got the next batter, Kaylee Eschete to hit a comeback.
She turned and fired to shortstop Miah Carman for the force at second, who then sent it to Perk for a double play.
The next batter reached on a dropped third strike, but a popout ended the at-bat.
Dillon led off for the Pirates and was hit by a pitch on the shoulder. Kenna Johnson went in as the courtesy runner and stole second.
Emilee Robinson then walked. A wild pitch moved both runners up one base. Ball four to Hoffer got past the catcher, and Johnson put the first run on the board. The next two hitters were retired.
After Dillon set Troy Christian down 1-2-3, Hunkler unloaded on the first pitch and sent it soaring over the fence in center.
Dersham got a couple of strikeouts, then gave up a single into center by Dillon. Johnson went in again and took second on a passed ball. Robinson hit a grounder, but the throw to first sailed high, letting Johnson come across to make it 3-0. A force play prevented further damage.
Dillon got the first two batters in the top of the third on strikes. Dersham turned on a pitch for a round-tripper to left field. Eschete followed with a single. A fly out to center was caught by Hoffer for out number three. That would prove to be Troy Christian’s last baserunner of the day.
As noted above, Hoffer led off the bottom of the third with a homer, on a 1-2 count to center, making it 4-1 for the Pirates.
Riverside would load the bases on two walks and a check-swing single by Perk, but they were left aboard.
Dillon struck out the side in the top half of the fourth.
Robinson started the home half with a bouncer through the middle, then stole second. Huston hit a shallow pop fly that dropped for a hit and moved Robinson to third.
Hoffer put one in the left-center alley, scoring both runners. She was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple.
Zoey Ransbottom got on with a single, and Taylor Dillon followed with a double to center. A passed ball scored Ransbottom, and moved Dillon to third.
Hunkler got to jog around the bases a second time with her blast, this one to left, and making it 9-1.
Troy Christian put Kate Dersham in to pitch. She walked Perk and hit Keira Manahan. Both moved up on a wild pitch. Going back to the top of the order, Riley Dillon doubled to right-center to bring the runners in.
Johnson took over her spot on the bases. Robinson came up for a second time in the inning and was hit by a pitch. Johnson, who had gotten to third on a passed ball, scored on a sac fly by Huston.
A couple more errant pitches permitted Robinson to get over to third. A ball hit by Hoffer got her home with lucky number 13. Ransbottom then flew out to center.
Dillon went out one more time, collecting a popup and two more strikeouts to nail down the win.
Phelps said the team will stay busy with games at Covington today, followed by contests at Milton-Union Thursday and with Ben Logan on Saturday. “We’re into the heavy part of our season and we just have to keep going,” said Phelps.
The contest with Covington gets under way at 5 p.m.
——
In other action Monday:
Indian Lake 7, North Union 0
RICHWOOD — Indian Lake got a shutout win over North Union in Central Buckeye Conference play.
Winning pitcher Bre Wisener gave up just three hits and one walk, while recording 13 strikeouts.
Annie Rapp had two hits and two RBIs, and Halle Roby hit a double and single. Driving in runs were Abigail Elliott and Kit Miller.
The Lady Lakers scored three in the second, three in the third, and one in the fifth.
Indian Lake is 2-2 in the CBC and 6-4 overall. The Lakers travel to Shawnee today.
——
Ben Logan 11, Graham 1
ST. PARIS — Benjamin Logan defeated Graham in five innings to stay undefeated in the conference.
They scored three in the first, two in the second and six in the fifth. It ended after five innings.
Graham got its sole run in the first.
Adilynne Gregg got the victory, holding the Lady Falcons to six hits. She walked two and struck out four.
Rylan Norviel led the offense with a home run and two doubles. Bryleigh Burnside also had two doubles, and Sidney Sallee got two hits. Each of them collected two RBIs.
Skylar Miracle had two hits and Kyle Harner one, with both driving in a run. Others with RBIs were Keeli Rostorfer and Tanna Jacobs.
Ben Logan (5-0 CBC, 7-1 overall) hosts Kenton Ridge this afternoon.
——
Kenton Ridge 12, Bellefontaine 2
SPRINGFIELD — Bellefontaine lost to Kenton Ridge in a CBC matchup. The game ended after five innings.
Bellefontaine’s Joy Fogan was the losing pitcher.
Airiana Young had a double and single, and Fogan got a double.
Kenton Ridge jumped ahead with six in the first, then added one in the second, two in the third and three in the fifth.
Bellefontaine scored its runs in the fourth inning.
The Lady Chiefs are 1-4 in the CBC and 3-7 overall.
The teams play again on Wednesday.
——
West Jefferson 9, West Liberty-Salem 3
West Liberty-Salem lost at home to West Jefferson in Ohio Heritage Conference play.
Losing pitcher Kennedy Wallace allowed 13 hits, and got four strikeouts.
The Roughriders scored five in the first and three in the second. They tacked on one more in the sixth.
WL-S scored its runs in the fourth inning.
Addison Hutton had an RBI double, with two hits each by Wallace and Audrey Collins. Kaylee Blair drove in one run with a single.
West Liberty-Salem falls to 2-4 in the OHC and 3-5 overall. The two teams meet again today at West Jefferson.