Lady Raiders capture tournament title
By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer
Daily Journal Sports Writer
Sep 15, 2008 - 08:20:40 CDT
DESLOGE — An impressive unbeaten streak now contains a tournament title for the North County softball team. The Lady Raiders improved to 10-0 overall on Saturday night with a 9-4 victory over rival Fredericktown in the finals of the North County Tournament.
North County never trailed after scoring three runs in the second and third innings. Each team finished with nine hits, but the Lady Raiders benefited from four Fredericktown errors and a number of disputed calls, including a RBI double that actually dropped in foul territory.
Brittani O’Connell went 2-for-3 plus a walk and Katie Gibson added two doubles to lead the North County offense. Senior Ashley Freeman scored three runs as a courtesy runner after catcher Jamie Bullock reached base.
Holly Gallagher tripled home a run before scoring on a Kelsey hall sacrifice fly in the second, and RBI hits from Jennifer Hackworth and Heather Shannon made the score 6-1 in the third.
North County recorded wins of 11-1 over Herculaneum and 7-0 over Central to reach the championship game. Hackworth allowed a season-high three earned runs on nine hits in the circle, but recorded 10 strikeouts in the final.
Fredericktown (5-6) tallied single runs in four different frames and stranded eight runners on base. The Lady Cats won their pool earlier in the day with victories of 5-3 over Naylor and 6-4 against Festus.
Fredericktown infielder Alyssa Buxton was a perfect 2-for-2 with two walks, and made a brilliant diving catch on a soft liner at third base in the seventh. Mariah Korokis matched Hailey Pate with two hits each, and had a RBI triple in the fifth. Lisa Hammel added a double in defeat.
Nikki Mascaro struck out five while pitching her third contest of the day. Only five of the nine runs scored against her were earned.
Central 15, Naylor 2
DESLOGE — Central provided plenty of offensive support behind a dominant one-hitter from pitcher Melanee Cunningham, and cruised past Naylor 15-2 in five innings for third place in the North County Tournament.
Cunningham struck out nine batters and walked two for the win, facing just four over the minimum. Courtney Sullivan led off the first inning with a triple to left field, and scored both Naylor runs on wild pitches.
Four players finished with multiple hits for Central (4-7). Ashley Coplin and Taylor Friend each had two hits with three RBI, while Sarah Tripp and Brooke Dixon finished with two hits and two runs scored.
Central gained a 3-1 advantage in the second when Coplin followed a Kylie Horton sacrifice with a two-run single. The Lady Rebels then sent 14 batters to the plate and broke the game open with 10 tallies in the fourth.
Erin St. Gemme scored on a squeeze bunt single by Dixon, and Amber Kennedy doubled home two runs for an 8-2 lead. Friend added a RBI double and Tripp delivered a RBI triple before the damage was done.
The Lady Eagles committed eight errors overall. Starter Chelsea Lane took the loss after pitching two innings.
De Soto 2, Central 1
DE SOTO — Prior to Saturday’s tournament, the Central softball team battled De Soto into extra innings on Friday afternoon, but the Lady Dragons tallied the winning run in the eighth for a 2-1 victory.
Senior Amber Kennedy allowed just one earned run and no walks while striking out five in the hard-luck loss. She also picked up a single at the plate.
Brooke Dixon, Addie Scoggin and Taylor Friend added hits for the Lady Rebels (2-5).
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North County never trailed after scoring three runs in the second and third innings. Each team finished with nine hits, but the Lady Raiders benefited from four Fredericktown errors and a number of disputed calls, including a RBI double that actually dropped in foul territory.
Brittani O’Connell went 2-for-3 plus a walk and Katie Gibson added two doubles to lead the North County offense. Senior Ashley Freeman scored three runs as a courtesy runner after catcher Jamie Bullock reached base.
Holly Gallagher tripled home a run before scoring on a Kelsey hall sacrifice fly in the second, and RBI hits from Jennifer Hackworth and Heather Shannon made the score 6-1 in the third.
North County recorded wins of 11-1 over Herculaneum and 7-0 over Central to reach the championship game. Hackworth allowed a season-high three earned runs on nine hits in the circle, but recorded 10 strikeouts in the final.
Fredericktown (5-6) tallied single runs in four different frames and stranded eight runners on base. The Lady Cats won their pool earlier in the day with victories of 5-3 over Naylor and 6-4 against Festus.
Fredericktown infielder Alyssa Buxton was a perfect 2-for-2 with two walks, and made a brilliant diving catch on a soft liner at third base in the seventh. Mariah Korokis matched Hailey Pate with two hits each, and had a RBI triple in the fifth. Lisa Hammel added a double in defeat.
Nikki Mascaro struck out five while pitching her third contest of the day. Only five of the nine runs scored against her were earned.
Central 15, Naylor 2
DESLOGE — Central provided plenty of offensive support behind a dominant one-hitter from pitcher Melanee Cunningham, and cruised past Naylor 15-2 in five innings for third place in the North County Tournament.
Cunningham struck out nine batters and walked two for the win, facing just four over the minimum. Courtney Sullivan led off the first inning with a triple to left field, and scored both Naylor runs on wild pitches.
Four players finished with multiple hits for Central (4-7). Ashley Coplin and Taylor Friend each had two hits with three RBI, while Sarah Tripp and Brooke Dixon finished with two hits and two runs scored.
Central gained a 3-1 advantage in the second when Coplin followed a Kylie Horton sacrifice with a two-run single. The Lady Rebels then sent 14 batters to the plate and broke the game open with 10 tallies in the fourth.
Erin St. Gemme scored on a squeeze bunt single by Dixon, and Amber Kennedy doubled home two runs for an 8-2 lead. Friend added a RBI double and Tripp delivered a RBI triple before the damage was done.
The Lady Eagles committed eight errors overall. Starter Chelsea Lane took the loss after pitching two innings.
De Soto 2, Central 1
DE SOTO — Prior to Saturday’s tournament, the Central softball team battled De Soto into extra innings on Friday afternoon, but the Lady Dragons tallied the winning run in the eighth for a 2-1 victory.
Senior Amber Kennedy allowed just one earned run and no walks while striking out five in the hard-luck loss. She also picked up a single at the plate.
Brooke Dixon, Addie Scoggin and Taylor Friend added hits for the Lady Rebels (2-5).