Russia will try for its third straight district title and regional berth on Friday when it faces Southeastern in a Division IV district final at Miamisburg High School.
It’s the second consecutive year the Raiders and Trojans will meet in a district final. Russia beat Southeastern 8-3 in a district final last year at Carlisle High School. The squad scored one run in each the third, fourth and fifth innings, then exploded for five runs in the sixth. The Trojans scored three runs in the sixth to close the gap.
ScoresBroadcast.com will be at Miamisburg on Friday to broadcast the action. Jack Kramer and Bryant Billing will have the call. Airtime is scheduled for 4:25 p.m., with first pitch to follow at 5.
The Raiders will see a different Southeastern pitcher this year. Freshman Reese Wells has a 3.29 ERA in 110 innings of work in the circle and has struck out 133 batters.
The Trojans (15-6), which won the Ohio Heritage Conference South Division, are hitting better this year. They have a .406 team batting average and a .474 on-base percentage. They have hit 77 extra-base hits, including 16 home runs. Freshman Kaylee Wells has a team-best .639 batting average and .675 on-base percentage. She has 48 RBIs to her credit and has hit five home runs.
This season was the first the Raiders hadn’t won the Shelby County Athletic League title since 2015; they lost twice to first-place Anna and finished 8-2 in league play.
Russia still has had a strong season and enters Friday’s district final with an 18-7 overall record. They beat rival Fort Loramie (which is playing Riverside in a district final on Friday at Newton) twice in SCAL play and beat strong opponents in Covington, Miami East and Parkway in nonconference games.
Senior pitcher Makena Hoying was named SCAL player of the year. She has a 2.54 ERA and has struck out 100 batters in 124 innings. She has a .371 batting average at the plate and 18 RBIs.
The Raiders crushed Newton 13-1 in a district semifinal on Tuesday to advance. They had 13 hits; Jaela Shappie was 3 for 3 with one double. Kelby Doseck was 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and one home run. Reese Goubeaux was 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and one triple and Saige Hoying was 2 for 3 with one double.
Southeastern’s district semifinal was postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday. The Trojans beat Fayetteville-Perry 12-0 in South Charleston to advance. They had nine hits, including a home run by Kaylee Wells.
