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'Hound softball sweeps, keeps chances high for first-round home playoff series
FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Fort Scott Community College's softball team swept visiting Cloud County at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex Friday, clinching a home series in the first round of the upcoming Region VI Division II Tournament.
The Greyhounds bashed out 18 hits in the doubleheader, breaking out of an offensive slump which had contributed to some struggles as they had lost three of their last four games.
"We've kind of had two or three stages to our season," Fort Scott head coach Lauren Sigwing said. "We started off the season hitting the ball and (were) totally reliant on our offense and our defense was pretty shaky. Then, we started playing pretty good defense but we've been in this big offensive slump for the past two weeks. Our defense is solid, our pitching has been pretty solid and now we're kind of putting everything together. This is the right time to peak, so I hope we're on the upswing coming out of the little slump that we had."
The Greyhounds improved to 17-9 in the Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division with their conference slate complete after sweeping Cloud 7-3 and 8-2. They are also 17-9 among the Division II teams with a home doubleheader today against Brown Mackie and a road twinbill Sunday at Hesston remaining.
Brown Mackie, which played at second-place Johnson County Friday, has no victories this season in 33 contests. Hesston, which visited Coffeyville Friday and will play at Labette this afternoon, has only two wins this season in 22 outings -- both of those coming against Brown Mackie.
Although a few of Friday's scores were not yet reported as of this writing, Fort Scott was in the No. 6 seeding position after sweeping Cloud. If the 'Hounds can sweep Brown Mackie and Hesston while other teams beat each other up, it's possible for them to finish fourth. A bad weekend could send FSCC tumbling down as far as 10th.
This season, each of the 16 Division II teams will make the post-season tournament with the top eight seeds hosting a best-two-out-of-three first-round series before going on to a double-elimination tournament at Wichita.
Cloud County (9-13 conference, 13-13 in Division II, 23-24 overall) scored three runs in the first inning of the opener, two coming in on a double by Devin Choate.
The Greyhounds (26-21 overall) scored one in the bottom of the second as Samantha Padgett beat a throw home from the second baseman on a fielder's choice.
The Thunderbirds had three hits in the third inning but failed to score a run. Fort Scott's bats broke out of an offensive slump in a big way in the fourth. Hannah Somers got things going when she belted a three-run homer with no one out. Barbara Zernick then drew a walk and Kelly Shay came in to pinch run, moving to second on a bunt by Maggie Cornish. Megan Barrager hustled out a base hit on a ball hit deep to short. Shay scored when she beat the throw to the plate on Sarah Doyle's bunt. Barrager scored on a groundout to make it 6-3.
Doyle drove in Zernick with a one-out single in the sixth for the final run.
Marie Crowley went three for three for the 'Hounds while Somers was two for two and Barrager was two for three. Bethany Murray had two hits for the Thunderbirds.
Boham settled in and went the distance for the win. She allowed only one hit and one walk in the final four innings she worked. She struck out five and walked two overall.
Fort Scott's offense got going in the second game of the nightcap. Crowley reached when she was hit by the first pitch of the inning. Pinch-runner Padgett was moved to second when Cloud hurler Amanda Pieser dropped a pitch during her delivery, resulting in an illegal pitch.
Chelsie Kibbe walked and Padgett scored on Somers' double. Cornish plated Kibbe and Somers with a one-out double to left-center. Cornish doubled to bring in Somers and later scored on a wild pitch to make it a 4-0 game.
One more went up in the fourth as Somers led off with a walk, stole second and then scored when Barriger beat out a two-out grounder.
The T-Birds had just one base hit in the first four innings against Brittny Washington. But Kacy Schroder led off the fifth with a double and scored when Lauren Dockter belted a one-out double. Dockter scored on a single by Whitney Gillman. Murray singled to put two runners on with one out and Cloud County within 5-2.
Sigwing turned to Boham, who got a fly out to center and a strikeout to end the inning.
Fort Scott scored three in the bottom of the fifth. Doyle and Paige Colburn led off with consecutive singles. Then Emily True got another single to score Doyle. Cloud County changed pitchers but Somers cranked a two-out double to bring in Colburn and True to make it 8-2.
Cloud County tried to rally in the top of the seventh as they had two runners on with two out. A fielder's choice to Zernick at second ended the game.
Washington was the winning pitcher, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out three in 4 1/3 innings. Boham finished up with 2 2/3 innings of relief, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two.
"Lindsay did a great job," Sigwing said. "Both pitchers did a good job. I don't think either of them had their best stuff today. We've talked about working through your 'off' days and knowing how to get outs when you don't have your best stuff. Lindsay struggled that first inning of that first game and then was solid after that. Brittny didn't have her best stuff but she worked through it and got better as the game went on. Both of them worked hard and worked through everything. It was good to see toughness from them."
Somers went two for two for the Greyhounds while Barriger finished two for three. Murray, again, had two hits for Cloud.
Today's Brown Mackie-Fort Scott doubleheader is also Sophomore Day. Play is set to begin at 1 p.m. at the Willard Complex.