SETTING THE SCENE: A stretch of key games that will go a long way towards determining the 2018 Eastern Cincinnati Conference Championship hopes of the Milford High School softball team is on tap this week as the Eagles chase a fifth straight crown. The Eagles begin the week at 6-1 in league play, an identical record to that of Kings, Milford’s Wednesday opponent. MHS can’t afford to look ahead to the Knights, though as they travel to Anderson for a rescheduled contest on Tuesday. 

THE UPCOMING DOCKET: A look at Milford’s schedule for the upcoming week:

• Wednesday, April 25 at Kings, 5:00 p.m.
  • 2018 Record: 8-4, 6-1 ECC (9^th Division I area coaches’ weekly poll)
  • Top Hitter: Sophomore Kelsey Schmidt (.583/11 XBH/12 RBI/5 SB)
  • Top Pitcher: Senior Josie Adams (3.10 ERA/8-3 record)
  • Last Meeting: 2017; Milford 3, Kings 1 & Milford 6, Kings 2

A LOOK BACK: April 9 at Milford: Milford 16, Loveland 6

GAME REWIND

Milford scored eight runs in the first and eight more in the fifth to race past Loveland by a 16-6 score in a game halted by the 10-run rule. The Eagles had to sweat for awhile as after their first inning explosion, Loveland responded with six runs of its own in the top of the second. But in the fifth, Milford sent 12 hitters to the plate to end the game early.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 6-3, 2-0 ECC; Loveland: 2-2, 2-1 ECC

WP: Hillary Huffer; LP: Livia McClellan

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Lynn Varner 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI

Katelyn Reynolds 2B, 3 RBI

Emily Allphin 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI

Morgan Whitaker 2-4, 2 R

Olivia Craycraft HR, 3 RBI

Loveland

Taylor Owens 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI

Katlyn Kramer 2B, 2 RBI

Jerrah Harcourt 2B

April 10 at Loveland: Milford 24, Loveland 1

GAME REWIND

Milford exploded for eight runs in the first and 12 more in the third as the Eagles dismantled Loveland, 24-1. In the first, 11 Eagles came to the plate, while two innings later the squad batted around twice. The Milford offense generated 20 hits total, including seven doubles and a triple.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 7-3, 3-0 ECC; Loveland: 2-3, 2-2 ECC

WP: Emily Allphin; LP: Katlyn Kramer

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Sydnee Harris 2-5, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI

Lynn Varner 4-4, 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI

Katelyn Reynolds 2-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI

Emily Allphin 4-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 5 IP, 1 R, 6 SO

Morgan Whitaker 2-4, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI

Olivia Craycraft 2-3, 3B, 2 R

Loveland

Katlyn Kramer 2-3

Lexi Braun 2-3

April 11 at Milford: Milford 12, West Clermont 8

GAME REWIND

Senior Lynn Varner cracked a go-ahead grand slam to highlight a seven-run fifth inning and lead the Eagles to a fourth straight Eastern Cincinnati Conference victory, a 12-8 win over West Clermont. The Eagles started the inning trailing 8-3, but started chipping away, taking advantage of two errors and four walks before Varner came to the plate and put Milford in the driver’s seat for good.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 8-3, 4-0 ECC; West Clermont: 6-3, 3-1 ECC

WP: Emily Allphin; LP: Nicole Brown

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Lynn Varner HR, 4 RBI

Emily Allphin 2-3, 2B, 3.1 IP, 0 R

Olivia Craycraft 2 RBI

Hillary Huffer 2B

Kyrsten Brown 2B

Megan Stulz 2 RBI

West Clermont

Payge Suggs 3-5

Riley Hampton 3-4, 2 R

Danielle Cooper 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI

Nicole Brown 2B

Maddie Beasley 3-4, 2B, 4 RBI

April 13 at West Clermont: West Clermont 11, Milford 1

GAME REWIND

West Clermont sent 13 hitters to the plate as part of an eight-run second inning as the Wolves earned a season split with an 11-1 five-inning victory. The Eagles actually struck first with their run in the top of the first, but West Clermont ripped off 11 straight runs, while limiting Milford to just three hits for the game.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 8-4, 4-1 ECC; West Clermont: 7-4, 4-1 ECC

WP: Reece Hampton; LP: Hillary Huffer

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Sydnee Harris 1-2, R, BB

West Clermont

Kinsey Ventura 3-4, 2 R

Reece Hampton 2 RBI, 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 4 SO

Danielle Cooper 2B

Nicole Brown 2-2, 2 R

Nutter 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI

Raelyn Jobe 2 RBI

April 17 vs. Fayetteville Perry: Milford 14, Fayetteville Perry 4

GAME REWIND

A game that had the makings of a slugfest early turned into a Milford rout as the Eagles pounded Fayetteville Perry 14-4 in five innings. Milford got a first inning run, but FPHS responded with four markers in the top of the second, only to see the Eagles rip off 13 runs over the next four frames to run away with the win.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 9-4; Fayetteville Perry: 6-7

WP: Emily Allphin; LP: Paige Vilvens

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Sydnee Harris 3-4, 2B, 3 R

Lynn Varner 3-3, 3 R, 5 RBI, 3 SB

Katelyn Reynolds 2B, 2 RBI

Emily Allphin 2B, 2 RBI

Kyrsten Brown 3-3, 2B

Fayetteville Perry

Zoe Vilvens 2B, 2 RBI

Ashley Reed 2-2

Taylor Mechlin 2-3, 2B

April 18 vs. Turpin: Milford 10, Turpin 0

GAME REWIND

Milford scored in every inning and Hillary Huffer crafted a five-hit shutout as the Eagles blanked 10-0 in the first ECC match-up of the year between the schools. The Eagle offense was in high gear, with five extra base hits, including a trio of doubles by freshman Morgan Whitaker, while also snagging five stolen bases.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 10-4, 5-1 ECC; Turpin: 4-7, 3-4 ECC

WP: Hillary Huffer; LP: Kylie Hannum

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Sydnee Harris 2B, 2 SB

Katelyn Reynolds 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI

Emily Allphin 2-4

Morgan Whitaker 4-4, 3 2B, 2 RBI

Olivia Craycraft 2-4, 2 RBI

Hillary Huffer 2-3, 2 RBI; 5 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 4 SO

Turpin

Kaylie Williams 2-2, 2B

April 19 at Turpin: Milford 18, Turpin 6

GAME REWIND

The Eagles cracked three home runs, including two by freshmen, as part of a 17-hit attack in an 18-6 dismantling of Turpin. Milford snapped a 1-1 tie with a five-run third inning then continued piling on. Freshmen Emily Allphin and Morgan Whitaker each went deep for the first time in their careers, while junior Katelyn Reynolds added her first longball of the season.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 11-4, 6-1 ECC; Turpin: 4-8, 3-5 ECC

WP: Emily Allphin; LP: Kylie Hannum

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Sydnee Harris 4-5, 2B, 4 R

Lynn Varner 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI

Katelyn Reynolds 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, 6 RBI

Emily Allphin HR

Morgan Whitaker 3-4, HR, 4 RBI

Lilly Copp 3-4, 2B

Turpin

Kaylie Williams 2-2, 2B

April 20 vs. North Union (at Ashland Brookside Park): North Union 10, Milford 9

GAME REWIND

Milford rallied from a 9-1 deficit to tie the game in the top of the seventh but North Union thwarted the comeback with a walk-off win, 10-9 over the Eagles in the opener of the Wendy’s Spring Classic. The Eagles plated four in the sixth inning on two-run doubles by Megan Stulz and Sydnee Harris, before scoring four more in the seventh to tie the game. But North Union used a walk, sacrifice bunt and RBI single to win the game a half-inning later.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 11-5; North Union: N/A

WP: Madison Wedding; LP: Hillary Huffer

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Sydnee Harris 2B, 3 RBI

Olivia Craycraft 3-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI

Hillary Huffer, 2-3, RBI

Megan Stulz 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI

North Union

Josie Duncan 2B

Abby Davis 4-5, 3 R

Madison Amstutz 2B

Avery Clark 2-3

Kennedy Ruhl 2-3, HR, 5 RBI

April 21 vs. Ursuline (at Ashland Brookside Park): Ursuline 9, Milford 6

GAME REWIND

Milford overcame an early three-run deficit and later got the tying run to the on-deck circle in the seventh, but couldn’t complete the comeback as they dropped a 9-6 decision to fellow Greater Cincinnati school, Ursuline. The game was played in Ashland, Ohio as part of the Wendy’s Spring Classic. After seeing the Eagles tie the game at 3-3 in the fifth, Ursuline scored four in its half of the inning and two more in the sixth to pull to a comfortable six run edge. Milford got three of the markers back in the top of the seventh, but left a runner on third as the game came to an end.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 11-6; Ursuline: 11-2

WP: Ali Bernard; LP: Hillary Huffer

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Sydnee Harris 2-4

Emily Allphin 2B

Kyrsten Brown 2-3, 2B

Hillary Huffer, 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI

Ursuline

Emily Young 3B

Jane Kronenberger 3-4, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI

Adeline Ganz 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI

Alli Bernard 2-3

April 21 vs. Ashland (at Ashland Brookside Park): Milford 20, Ashland 4

GAME REWIND

Milford wound up play in the Wendy’s Spring Classic with a bang, crushing Ashland 20-4. The Eagles pounded out 22 hits, scoring multiple runs in each of its four innings at the plate. The scoring explosion was capped with 12 hitters coming to the plate in an eight-run fourth inning that allowed for the game to end one-half inning later.

RECORDS & PITCHING DECISIONS

Milford: 12-6; Ashland: N/A

WP: Emily Allphin; LP: N/A

KEY PLAYERS

Milford

Sydnee Harris 4-5, 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI

Lynn Varner 3-3, 4 R

Katelyn Reynolds 3-3, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI

Emily Allphin 3-3, 2 2B, 5 RBI; 5 IP, 8 SO

Morgan Whitaker 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Olivia Craycraft 3-4

Reilly Edwards 2 RBI

Lilly Copp 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Katie Hall 2B

Ashland

Harpster 2-3

McCullough 2 RBI

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: A look at Milford’s statistical leaders:

Batting Average: Lynn Varner (.519), Sydnee Harris (.476), Emily Allphin (.426)

Slugging Percentage: Emily Allphin/Katelyn Reynolds (.672), Lynn Varner (.630)

On Base Percentage: Lynn Varner (.597), Sydnee Harris (.577), Katelyn Reynolds (.466)

Runs Scored: Sydnee Harris (30), Lynn Varner (24), Morgan Whitaker (22)

Hits: Sydnee Harris (30), Lynn Varner (28), Emily Allphin (26)

RBI: Katelyn Reynolds (32), Lynn Varner (26), Emily Allphin (22)

Doubles: Emily Allphin (12), Katelyn Reynolds (11), Sydnee Harris (8)

Triples: Olivia Craycraft/Katelyn Reynolds (1)

Home Runs: Olivia Craycraft (2), Four Tied (1)

Walks: Sydnee Harris (14), Katelyn Reynolds (8), Three Tied (7)

Stolen Bases: Lynn Varner (7), Sydnee Harris (6), Four Tied (3)

Wins: Emily Allphin (7), Hillary Huffer (5)

Saves: None

ERA: Hillary Huffer (4.62), Emily Allphin (4.94), Sam Boothby (6.00)

Innings: Hillary Huffer (60.2), Emily Allphin (45.1), Sam Boothby (4.2)

Opponents Batting Average: Emily Allphin (.335), Hillary Huffer (.343), Sam Boothby (.370)

Strikeouts: Hillary Huffer (35), Emily Allphin (25), Sam Boothby (3)

INSIDE THE ECC: With only two weeks of regular season play remaining, the race for the 2018 ECC Championship is tight with four teams still very much alive. Milford, four-time defending champions and Kings are tied at the top, each at 6-1, heading into Wednesday’s showdown. West Clermont (5-2) and Anderson (4-2) are each within a game of the leaders. The schedule for ECC conference games this week includes: Wednesday-Milford at Kings, West Clermont at Anderson, Walnut Hills at Loveland and Withrow Hills at Turpin; Thursday-Turpin at West Clermont; Friday-Anderson at West Clermont and Loveland at Walnut Hills; Saturday-Anderson at Turpin.

POLL WATCH: Milford checks in seventh in this week’s Division I area coaches’ poll, compiled by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Lebanon is the area’s No. 1 team this week, picking up 11 of the 16 first place votes cast. Mason earned four top nods and took second, with Lakota East and Ursuline completing the top-five. The ECC is also represented by West Clermont in eighth and Kings in ninth.The coaches’ poll is released every Monday at Noon at preps.cincinnati.com/coachespolls.

COLLEGE BOUND EAGLE: Milford Class of 2018 member Sydnee Harris recently announced that she has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete next season at Division I Youngstown State University.