Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

CHESAPEAKE — Mom and dad, don’t get upset. This time it was OK not to share.
The Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers may have been ill-mannered but they didn’t mind as they beat the Chesapeake Lady Panthers 10-0 in six innings on Tuesday and thus won the Ohio Valley Conference softball title outright.
Ironton needed a win to avoid sharing the title with Coal Grove. Ironton is 17-5 overall and finishes 12-2 in the OVC, one game ahead of Coal Grove.
Chesapeake ends the season 12-12 and 7-7 in the OVC.
Mary Beth Burton pitched a two-hit shutout and Ironton collected 14 hits in picking up the win.
“It was a nice team effort by the girls. It was a great win going into the district,” said Ironton coach Missy Fields.
“Mary Beth Burton had a great game allowing just two hits and our defense had a stellar performance with no errors. The top of the lineup really hit well.”
The big bats in the middle of the Ironton lineup powered up. Taiya Hamlet was 2-4 with a home run and three runs batted in, Aley Carmon 2-3 with a double and an RBI while Ruth Paholsky was 2-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
At the top of the order Kenzie Cremeens went 2-4 with a double and an RBI and Haylee Stevens 3-4 with a double. M’Kenzie McMaster was 1-3 with a double and RBI while Burton and Demi “The Voice” Sands each had a hit.
Brooke Webb and Jenny Mills each went 1-2 for Chesapeake.
Ironton got a run in the first on a double by Cremeens and a single by Carmon.
The Lady Tigers scored four runs in the third to lead 5-0.
Stevens singled, stole second and scored when Cremeens reached on an error. Carmon was safe on a two-out error to score Cremeens and Paholsky followed with an RBI double. Burton then reached on an error to score Paholsky.
Cremeens singled and Hamlet drilled a two-run homer — the first of her career — in the fourth inning and it was 7-0.
Ironton ended the game early with three runs in the sixth.
Stevens singled, went to second on a passed ball and third on a ground out before scoring on a hit by Hamlet. Carmon walked and Paholsky had an RBI double.
Carmon was thrown out at home but McMaster followed with an RBI single.
Ironton will now play Westfall at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in the district semifinals at Chillicothe Unioto High School.

Ironton       104    203    =    10    14    0
Chesapeake    000    000    =    0    2    5
Mary Beth Burton and Kenzie Cremeens. Brooke Webb and Jordan Storms. W-Burton (K-2, BB-1). L-Webb (K-5, BB-3, ER-6). Hitting-Ironton: Haylee Stevens 3-4 2B, Kenzie Cremeens 2-4 2B RBI, Taiya Hamlet 2-4 HR 3-RBI, Aley Carmon 2-3 2B RBI, Ruth Paholsky 2-4 2-2B 2-RBI, M’Kenzie McMaster 1-3 2B RBI, Mary Beth Burton 1-3, Demi Sands 1-4; Chesy: Brooke Webb 1-2, Jenny Mills 1-2.

Ohio Valley Conference
Girls’ Softball Standings
W    L
Ironton     12    2
Coal Grove    11    3
Rock Hill    10    4
Gallipolis    9    5
Chesapeake    7    7
South Point    4    10
Portsmouth    3    11
Fairland    0    14