|
|
|
Photo Galleries
GIRARD —
Perhaps there was no better example of how youth is a double-edged sword than the Girard softball team on Wednesday night.
Playing at home in the Class 4A regionals, the team exploded for 10 runs and controlled the game in a five-inning, 10-0 win over Independence in the semifinals. But then, the other side of the sword came in the finals, as the Trojan bats were quieted by Labette County senior Allie Reynolds en route to a 6-0 Grizzlies victory.
The difference in the second game were a series of errors in the fifth and sixth inning. Entering the fifth, the score was tied 0-0. In a span of four batters, there were three errors and a passed ball for the Girard defense, scoring two. Kelsie Goins followed the errors up with an RBI single to give Labette County a 3-0 lead.
In the sixth, the errors continued. An error gave Labette another run and a second error in the inning just added to the total when Shelbi Foster hit a two-run home run to center field to make the score 6-0.
“It was errors. It was fundamentals. It was a lack of aggression,” said Girard softball head coach Jerry O’Rand. “We were not giving 100 percent there, and that creates turnovers. We’ll hit it hard this summer and try again next year.”
The Girard bats were silenced by Reynolds all night. Reynolds had 12 strikeouts, including striking out the side in the first and fifth innings. She gave up just three hits and hit one batter, but only faced three more than the minimum. No runner even made it to second base.
Girard’s Jordan Davied hit a single to open the second, but was stranded after two strikeouts and a pop-up. After hitting Madison Smith in the fourth, Reynolds struck out the next two batters to end the inning. Reynolds eliminated Hope McLeod, who reached on an infield single in the sixth, on a double play after catching a line drive and doubling McLeod off first base. Davied also had a single in the seventh but was stranded after a foul out and, of course, another strikeout to end the game.
“You have got to give credit to Labette and all their seniors,” O’Rand said. “Reynolds pitched well tonight. We see her every year, and she doesn’t usually give us problems, but she gave us fits tonight.”
Labette continued its undefeated season, advancing to 23-0 on the season and advancing to the state championships in Salina.
Perhaps there was no better example of how youth is a double-edged sword than the Girard softball team on Wednesday night.
Playing at home in the Class 4A regionals, the team exploded for 10 runs and controlled the game in a five-inning, 10-0 win over Independence in the semifinals. But then, the other side of the sword came in the finals, as the Trojan bats were quieted by Labette County senior Allie Reynolds en route to a 6-0 Grizzlies victory.
The difference in the second game were a series of errors in the fifth and sixth inning. Entering the fifth, the score was tied 0-0. In a span of four batters, there were three errors and a passed ball for the Girard defense, scoring two. Kelsie Goins followed the errors up with an RBI single to give Labette County a 3-0 lead.
In the sixth, the errors continued. An error gave Labette another run and a second error in the inning just added to the total when Shelbi Foster hit a two-run home run to center field to make the score 6-0.
“It was errors. It was fundamentals. It was a lack of aggression,” said Girard softball head coach Jerry O’Rand. “We were not giving 100 percent there, and that creates turnovers. We’ll hit it hard this summer and try again next year.”
The Girard bats were silenced by Reynolds all night. Reynolds had 12 strikeouts, including striking out the side in the first and fifth innings. She gave up just three hits and hit one batter, but only faced three more than the minimum. No runner even made it to second base.
Girard’s Jordan Davied hit a single to open the second, but was stranded after two strikeouts and a pop-up. After hitting Madison Smith in the fourth, Reynolds struck out the next two batters to end the inning. Reynolds eliminated Hope McLeod, who reached on an infield single in the sixth, on a double play after catching a line drive and doubling McLeod off first base. Davied also had a single in the seventh but was stranded after a foul out and, of course, another strikeout to end the game.
“You have got to give credit to Labette and all their seniors,” O’Rand said. “Reynolds pitched well tonight. We see her every year, and she doesn’t usually give us problems, but she gave us fits tonight.”
Labette continued its undefeated season, advancing to 23-0 on the season and advancing to the state championships in Salina.
Girard softball 10, Independence 0 (5 innings)
The story of Girard’s semifinal game against Independence was Madison Smith.
Smith hit two two-run home runs to left-center field to guide a strong-hitting Trojan team to the regional finals with a 10-0 run-rule game over Independence.
“I just wanted to hit the ball,” Smith said after the game.
After Hope McLeod reached on an error, Smith hit her first two-run shot two batters later to put Girard up 2-0. The team would add another run in the second inning before an explosion in the fourth inning.
Girard would score on a wild pitch and an RBI sacrifice fly before Smith hit the second of her home runs to make the score 7-0.
“Madison’s done that for us since the day she stepped into her high-school uniform,” O’Rand said. “She’s an unbelievable hitter.”
Girard would load the bases for Hannah Jones’s second at-bat in the fourth inning, and she would respond with a three-run triple over the right fielder’s head.
Girard pitcher Haley Pitts ended with three strikeouts and two walks, but controlled the Independence bats and allowed Girard to use some strategy before the finals.
“She did pitch pretty well. I didn’t want to show both pitchers, and I wanted to try to get out of there with one pitcher Labette hadn’t seen,” O’Rand said. “I think Haley had a lot of support from her teammates so we could only use one pitcher.”
Class 4A Regional Finals
At Red Wutke Park
Labette County 6, Girard 0
Girard 000 000 0 — 0 3 5
Labette County 000 033 x — 6 8 0
Ashley Johnson and Madison Smith. Allie Reynolds and Kaysha Julich. WP — Reynolds. LP — Johnson. 2B — Aubri Kimbrough. HR — Shelbie Foster.
Class 4A Regional Semifinals
Girard 10, Independence 0 (5 innings)
IND 000 00 — 0 2 2
GHS 210 7x — 10 8 4
Shelby Corn and Bailey Burnett. Haley Pitts and Madison Smith. WP — Pitts. LP — Corn. 2B — Kasey Ruark. 3B — Hannah Jones. HR — Smith (2).
