Staff photo / Brian Yauger Fitch’s Kayla Schubert fires a pitch early during Monday’s All-American Conference contest against Howland. The Falcons won, 22-3.

AUSTINTOWN — There was a near-constant drizzle during Fitch softball’s first All-American Conference contest of the season, but the Falcons provided an offensive downpour, scoring 17 runs in the third inning and taking down Howland, 22-3, for the team’s fifth win of the year.

“I really liked the way we approached the plate,” Falcons’ coach Steven Ward said. “We stayed within ourselves, we had nice swings and when we’re calm and play the way we know how, great things are going to happen.”

So far that’s been the case for Fitch as all five wins for the Falcons (5-1) have been in five innings. The 22-run total they amassed Monday smashed the team’s previous high of 15 runs they scored against LaBrae to open the season.

Staff photo / Brian Yauger Falcons junior Maddy Taylor makes contact during the first inning of Monday’s game. Taylor had two hits, two RBIs and two runs in the game.

There’s no rust on the Fitch bats as the team has a run differential of 75-11 to kick off the season. While the hitting hasn’t been a downside of the team, Ward credits that to the success of the base runners.

“We’ve been doing a lot of power shots and a bunch of extra-base hits, but I give credit to our base runners, they create opportunities for themselves,” he said. “Sometimes I’m a little off third base and the girls are making their own choices out there.

“We coach them to be complete players, make their own choices and be aggressive on the bases, because if I have to tell them to do something, there’s that one-second delay. We trust them to make their own choices out there on the bases and create opportunities.”

The brunt of Monday’s scoring against the Tigers came from the dominant 17-run inning. After scoring five runs in the second inning, including a three-run homer by junior third baseman Sophia Senediak, Howland cut the deficit in the top of the third with two runs.

That’s when the floodgates opened.

While there wasn’t a storm, the Fitch bats cracked like lightning as the team continued to send its players around the bases. Freshman outfielder Bella Tofil rounded the bases four times in the game and Falcons ace Lydia Spalding and Sydney Shaffer each scored three times.

Senediak knocked in three runners and both Maddy Taylor and McKenna Hogan knocked in two.

After the onslaught in the third inning, the Falcons swapped the team’s younger players in, giving them some additional experience. Fitch utilized every player on their roster minus senior Mya McNevin who is still recovering from an injury.

“We always say ‘We don’t care who does it as long as somebody does it,’ ” Ward said. “By getting everybody in, it forces this idea that we’re together, we’re a team and everybody has got to be ready to step up at any point.”

That approach was put into practice Monday as nine of the 14 players that saw action for Fitch registered hits.

“It’s always a great thing coaching-wise when everybody on the team contributes,” Ward said. “That’s something that’s been a theme for us. No matter if you get one at-bat, one inning in the field, you’re all contributing, even if you’re just cheering. We have great team chemistry right now.”

Staff photo / Brian Yauger Fitch junior Sophia Senediak rounds third base on her way to score. Senediak had two hits including a three-run home run against the Tigers.

Falcons pitcher Kayla Schubert picked up her first league win as a starter, throwing two strikeouts across five innings.

“It was exciting,” Schubert said. “Definitely a lot of rain. It feels amazing (to be back). I couldn’t be more thankful to be able to be out here playing the game that I love.”

Howland’s Cloe Lopez led the team at the plate, going 2-for-2 on the afternoon.

Howland (4-4) and Fitch square off again tonight. The Falcons close the week out with two non-conference contests against Lakeview and Ashtabula Edgewood on Thursday and Friday.

Fitch has multiple tough contests lying ahead on the schedule in the next few weeks, including league rivals Canfield and Boardman, and Cleveland St. Joseph Academy, whose pitcher is a teammate of Penn State recruit Spalding on their travel ball team.