Purdy and Wheaton advance in district softball
May 1, 2019
Lee Stubblefield
Opening night of the Class 1 District 10 spring softball tournament certainly gave fans their money’s worth, both in quality and quantity. All four games were competitive, and the evening lasted longer than a double showing of Avengers: Endgame.
Purdy and Marionville led off with a 3 p.m. start, and the final out of game four between Southwest and Wheaton did not fall until the calendar changed. As the clock chimed midnight in the middle of the sixth inning, several fans put in their concession stand orders for biscuits and gravy. Not all were kidding.
Way back on Monday afternoon when the sun was still up, the top-seeded hosts Purdy Lady Eagles jumped out to a big lead but struggled at times before subduing Marionville, 15-9.
Then in the second contest, Clever defeated Exeter 7-1. The Lady Blue Jays built an early 4-0 lead, and freshman pitcher Kylie Wenger held Exeter scoreless through four innings. Breanna Grant scored the only run for the Lady Tigers in the bottom of the fifth inning, circling the bases on a multiple-error Keystone Kops adventure. Clever added an insurance run in both the sixth and seventh innings to claim the 7-1 win.
Crane and Billings were largely responsible for the long night. Their slugfest spilled over and past the designated time slot before Crane finally prevailed, 16-8. The Lady Pirates cruised to a 9-2 lead, but then Billings posted a five-run comeback to cut the lead to 9-7.
Crane added a run for a 10-7 lead, but an Elizabeth Edwards solo shot in the fifth inning cut that lead to 10-8. Billings had a chance with the bases loaded, but a long fly out ended the potential rally. Crane broke out for six runs in the sixth to take the 16-8 victory.
Southwest and Wheaton finally took the field at 10 p.m. for the final contest. Both teams came in with chips on their shoulders, feeling a bit slighted in the seeding process. Southwest had extra challenges, having to play without head coach Shawn Johnson. Johnson was sitting out a one-game suspension after being ejected in the final regular season game. Melissa Mitchell wore the skipper’s hat for Southwest on Monday night.
The Lady Trojans took an early lead, as Heather Windes rapped an RBI single in the top of the first. But Wheaton immediately answered with three runs, aided by two errors and a passed ball with a runner on third. The Lady Bulldogs would score another unearned run in the second inning to lead 4-1, then added two more unearned in the fourth frame for a 6-1 lead.
But Southwest lit up the basepaths in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Allison Corwin tripled and then scored on the play when an errant throw wound up in the Wheaton dugout. Then Windes smoked a home run to left center to earn a 6-6 tie.
The Lady Bulldogs responded with two runs in the fifth and another two in the sixth though, enroute to a 10-7 victory.
Purdy advanced to a semifinal contest against Clever, with Crane and Wheaton slated to play in the other semifinal. The district championship game is scheduled for Thursday, May 2, at Purdy.
Lee Stubblefield
Opening night of the Class 1 District 10 spring softball tournament certainly gave fans their money’s worth, both in quality and quantity. All four games were competitive, and the evening lasted longer than a double showing of Avengers: Endgame.
Purdy and Marionville led off with a 3 p.m. start, and the final out of game four between Southwest and Wheaton did not fall until the calendar changed. As the clock chimed midnight in the middle of the sixth inning, several fans put in their concession stand orders for biscuits and gravy. Not all were kidding.
Way back on Monday afternoon when the sun was still up, the top-seeded hosts Purdy Lady Eagles jumped out to a big lead but struggled at times before subduing Marionville, 15-9.
Then in the second contest, Clever defeated Exeter 7-1. The Lady Blue Jays built an early 4-0 lead, and freshman pitcher Kylie Wenger held Exeter scoreless through four innings. Breanna Grant scored the only run for the Lady Tigers in the bottom of the fifth inning, circling the bases on a multiple-error Keystone Kops adventure. Clever added an insurance run in both the sixth and seventh innings to claim the 7-1 win.
Crane and Billings were largely responsible for the long night. Their slugfest spilled over and past the designated time slot before Crane finally prevailed, 16-8. The Lady Pirates cruised to a 9-2 lead, but then Billings posted a five-run comeback to cut the lead to 9-7.
Crane added a run for a 10-7 lead, but an Elizabeth Edwards solo shot in the fifth inning cut that lead to 10-8. Billings had a chance with the bases loaded, but a long fly out ended the potential rally. Crane broke out for six runs in the sixth to take the 16-8 victory.
Southwest and Wheaton finally took the field at 10 p.m. for the final contest. Both teams came in with chips on their shoulders, feeling a bit slighted in the seeding process. Southwest had extra challenges, having to play without head coach Shawn Johnson. Johnson was sitting out a one-game suspension after being ejected in the final regular season game. Melissa Mitchell wore the skipper’s hat for Southwest on Monday night.
The Lady Trojans took an early lead, as Heather Windes rapped an RBI single in the top of the first. But Wheaton immediately answered with three runs, aided by two errors and a passed ball with a runner on third. The Lady Bulldogs would score another unearned run in the second inning to lead 4-1, then added two more unearned in the fourth frame for a 6-1 lead.
But Southwest lit up the basepaths in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Allison Corwin tripled and then scored on the play when an errant throw wound up in the Wheaton dugout. Then Windes smoked a home run to left center to earn a 6-6 tie.
The Lady Bulldogs responded with two runs in the fifth and another two in the sixth though, enroute to a 10-7 victory.
Purdy advanced to a semifinal contest against Clever, with Crane and Wheaton slated to play in the other semifinal. The district championship game is scheduled for Thursday, May 2, at Purdy.
