Softball: New Miami’s tournament run continues with district final berth

NEW MIAMI — The New Miami High School softball team celebrated yet another lopsided postseason victory Monday, May 18. But Vikings coach Donnie Howard knows the biggest challenge of his team’s breakthrough still waits ahead. New Miami rolled past Middletown Christian 20-0 in a Division VII district semifinal, extending the Vikings’ winning streak to eight games and sending the program to a district final game on Wednesday, May 20 against sixth-ranked Southeastern at West Carrollton.

The win represents another step forward for the Vikings, who are enjoying their best season in more than a decade, Howard said. New Miami improved to 18-5 overall and has won 13 of its last 15 games — outscoring its three postseason opponents 62-1 and marking the school’s most successful campaign since the 2010 Vikings went 15-6 before falling in a district semifinal. “There’s been some ups and downs,” Howard said.

“I just hope we come play good ball Wednesday. I want to play some more competitive games so our girls can get better and hopefully understand the game more, and then we can go deeper in the tournament. ” The Vikings showed little trouble against Middletown Christian.

Mikaela Lema powered the offensive eruption, driving in seven runs on three hits. The sophomore blasted an inside-the-park home run in the first inning, added a two-run single later in the frame and ripped a three-run triple in the third. Lema also dominated in the circle, striking out 13 while allowing just three hits over five shutout innings.