Staff photo / Brian Yauger. Maplewood pitcher Addison Marker delivers a pitch during the team’s victory over Jackson-Milton on Wednesday at YSU Softball Complex. Marker sat down 12 in the win.

YOUNGSTOWN — There’s no one Maplewood coach Jessica Urchek would rather have in the circle than sophomore Addison Marker.

After a 12-strikeout performance that led the Rockets to a 10-0 victory over Jackson-Milton and a trip to the Division VII northeast regional final on Friday, it’s not hard to see why.

“Anytime Addie is in the circle, we’re confident behind her. There is no one in the state that I’d rather have out there,” Urchek said. “She embodies what we teach, and she controls the game from the circle. For only a sophomore, that’s phenomenal.”

The Rockets scored once in the opening inning, but their bats came alive in the third scoring three more. That surge turned into a cascade as Maplewood piled on the hits.

Lexi Yannucci, Claire Urchek, and both Lauran and Reagan Krieg all finished the game with two hits. Reagan Krieg had three RBIs on the afternoon.

“We’ve been really working hard on shortening our swings and putting the ball in play. I think that really worked well for us today,” Jessica Urchek said. “Anytime we put the ball in play, it seemed like we got on base, and we could produce some runs.”

With Marker cutting down the opposition in the circle, facing just 17 batters, the Rockets were a well-oiled machine on Wednesday.

“These girls, I’m going to give a shout out to all their coaches. Golf, cross country, volleyball, basketball, they put them in these situations to be ready mentally and physically,” Urchek said. “Shout out to all the programs for getting them there. I think that I get the cream of the crop at the end of the year, because they’ve all been here, done that (by now).”

Despite the youth on Maplewood’s roster, it was apparent that the moment wasn’t too big for the Rockets’ inexperienced players, as most of the team’s runs were scored with two outs on the board.

Marker credits that to years of experience playing as a group, dating back well before high school.

“We’ve all played together since we were little, so I think we have trust in each other to come out here and play,” the sophomore pitcher said. “I mean, I trust my infield with my life. I think they can do anything, and I believe in them as much as they believe in me.”

While it was not the way the Blue Jays would have liked their season to end, it was still a season to remember for Jackson-Milton.

The Blue Jays finished the year with a 19-7 record, their best mark under coach Tyler Halavick, and the program’s first district crown since 2013.

Jackson-Milton graduates eight seniors. While their playing days in a Blue Jays uniform are over, Halavick insisted that this doesn’t have to be the end of their story with the program.

“Remember, all the little things about softball, and I said it to them in the outfield. Return to softball. Your career isn’t over,” Halavick said. “Come back and coach, come back and hang out with us. Just be part of the game that you’ve loved for years.”

While losing a large bit of their core, including pitcher Katie Byers, Halavick wants this year to be a foundation and the start of something new. This group set a benchmark the next groups have to meet.

“We’ve got to get back to work,” Halavick said. “The expectation is this every year. I told this group that I will not lower my bar, and they’ve met it. It’s the same message for next year. Meet the bar, and we’ll be good.”

The Rockets (26-2) will face Newark Catholic on Friday with a trip to the state final four on the line. Newark Catholic came back to top Maplewood’s NAC rival Chalker, 3-2, in the other regional semifinal contest.