Thursday evening saw some area softball teams and a baseball squad in action in some key series in the middle of the April slate.
One team has stayed untouched on the softball side of things, and that is Southern Lyon County. They faced Lyndon, looking to stay undefeated, but the series would be a lot closer than expected for them.
SoftballSLC 6-Lyndon 0
Game one was not as close as Adrianna Weeden shut down the Lyndon offense as she threw seven shutout innings. The game began with both teams shutting each other down for the first two innings, but SLC got the offense going in the third and fourth innings to secure the win. SLC got the scoring going on a Kayla Steinke RBI single before a two-RBI single from Gaby Coughlin capped off a three-run inning.
They tacked on two more in the fourth off a single from Taitlyn Cole to make it 5-0, and with Weeden dealing on the mound, it was all they needed to secure the game one win. SLC added their sixth run in the sixth inning to win 6-0. The top of the order dominated as Cole and Reece Johnson each had three hits and combined to score four runs. Cole, along with Coughlin, each drove in two runs on the day.
SLC 13-Lyndon 12
The nightcap proved to be more of a difficult game for SLC to close out. Steinke was tasked with the start, and she would go the complete game, but it was not as clean as Weeden’s outing in game one. Lyndon got the ball rolling, scoring the first run in the first inning. SLC then countered with two runs of their own and began a stretch where they scored in every inning until the fifth.
While Steinke didn’t have the cleanest day in the circle, she was the bus driver at the plate, driving in five runs on the day. After the fourth inning, it was 13-3 in favor of SLC, but that didn’t deter Lyndon as they scored three in the top of the fifth to stay in it. The comeback attempt continued with a two-run sixth, and in the final inning, they scored four more runs and had the tying run on third. With the game slipping away, potentially, Steinke coaxed a pop up to end the game and cut the comeback effort short.
SLC stays undefeated on the season with a slight scare at 10-0. They will have a little time off before their next series against Burlington on April 23.
Mission Valley 19- Chase County 0
Game one was not clean for Chase County as they were no-hit in three innings, and 12 errors gave Mission Valley opportunities they took advantage of. The game began with Mission Valley scoring two runs, then seven in the second, and the final nail was a ten-run third to end the game early.
Mission Valley 17- Chase County 1
Game two started well for Chase County as they held Mission Valley scoreless in the first, and Maggie Peters scored the first run of the game on a single. Mission Valley then scored five runs over the next three innings, and the Chase County bats went quiet. Mission Valley tacked on 12 runs in the final two innings to secure a 17-1 victory. Errors, again, played a role as Chase County had nine in the nightcap, giving Mission Valley more opportunities.
Chase County moves to 8-4 on the year and will face Osage City next on April 24.
Wolfdogs 14-Burlingame 4
The Wolfdogs got in the win column for the first time this season as the offense was clicking against Burlingame. They had a two-run first inning, a four-run third, and a seven-run fifth inning to secure their first victory of the season. Rya Plummer was the winning pitcher for the Wolfdogs, and the bats were powered by Kate Wagner and Maya Wilson, who both drove in three runs each. The patient approach at the plate helped the Wolfdogs get runners on as they drew ten walks in game one.
Wolfdogs 26-Burlingame 11
The bats of the Wolfdogs continued their great day in the nightcap as they scored 18 runs in the first two innings. Allison Konrade had a huge day, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs, and four other Wolfdog batters drove in at least two runs in the nightcap. Plummer earned the win in game two for her two innings of work. Once again, walks played a big part in this game as the Wolfdogs walked 13 times to give them an ample amount of baserunners.
The Wolfdogs secure their first series sweep of the season and now move to 2-7 on the year. They will travel to Prairie View for their next series on April 23.
BaseballMission Valley 8- Chase County 7
A comeback effort was thwarted by Mission Valley in the first game of the doubleheader against Chase County. The game saw Mission Valley score the first two runs of the game in the first inning with Chase County getting one back in the bottom of the first. After a scoreless second, Mission Valley then scored five runs over the next three innings to take a 7-1 lead. The Chase County bats didn’t get going until late when a bases loaded walk from Clark Miller gave them their second run.
Mission Valley got a crucial insurance run in the top of the seventh before Chase County got back to work. The Bulldogs got the bases loaded with no outs and Carter Mann opened with a two-RBI single to start the comeback attempt. Wyatt Griffin singled in another run and Noah Green singled in another. Brant Potter singled and Zachary Campbell walked to reload the bases, but Vincent Hodges could not find the gap in the defense and grounded out to end the game.
Griffin, Mann, and Green each had a two-RBI day while Griffin also went 3-for-4 at the plate. Hudson Doty was tagged with the loss in his five innings of work.
Mission Valley 11- Chase County 0
The offense went quiet in the nightcap for the Bulldogs as they were held to one hit in the second game. Green had the only hit and was the losing pitcher as Mission Valley scored in every inning except the first en route to a sweep.
The Bulldogs haven’t been swept since the beginning of the season and fall to 10-6 on the year. They will face Sedgwick on Monday April 20, looking to bounce back from the series sweep.