Knights down Potosi for shot at tourney title

PARK HILLS – The Farmington Knights had to be patient to play their semi-final game in the MAAA Softball Tournament as the Potosi Lady Trojans and the Ste. Genevieve Dragons took 11 innings to complete the preceding quarterfinal game.

The Lady Trojans emerged the winner 8-7, but they would go no further as the Knights put together a couple of six-run innings to win the semi-final game 13-2 in five innings. Freshman Sophia White pitched four innings for the win as she allowed only four hits and no walks, while striking out three.

The Knights scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first as Allison Pingel drove in Olivia Siebert with a ground ball to third. Siebert, who had reached base on a walk, stole second and reached third on a wild pitch, waited for the throw to first, to scamper home.

Potosi scored their only runs in the top of the second to take the lead. After a lead-off single by Emily Merx, Gabby Miller launched a two-run shot over the fence in left for a home run.

The No. 1 seed Knights answered with their first six-run rally in the bottom of the inning. Batting ninth in the line-up, Hallye Tucker drove in the first run with a sharply hit single up the middle. Eight players in the Knights line-up would drive in runs in the game. Pingel scored Tucker on a bases-loaded walk, and Brittany Link followed with a single to drive in two more. Briese drove in Link for her second RBI with a ground ball to second.

The Knights had a total of 13 hits, and they took advantage of eight walks and four errors by Potosi in the game.

Farmington struck for six more runs in the fourth inning. Randi Scruggs, White and Pingel all had RBI singles in the inning. Pingel finished 2-3 with three RBI. Hannah Hight, Tucker and Scruggs also ended up 2-3.

Meghan Clapp took away an extra base hit from Siebert in the fourth as she ran down a ball at the fence in left-center. 

Farmington (17-4) will face co-conference champion Central in Tuesday’s championship game. Potosi (6-15) will play North County for third place in the tournament.

Lady Trojans outlast Dragons in MAAA marathon

PARK HILLS – The Potosi Lady Trojans took advantage of a pair of errors by the Ste. Genevieve Dragons to plate the decisive run in the bottom of the 11th inning to defeat the Dragons 8-7 in come-from-behind fashion in their MAAA Tournament opener which was filled with special highlights.

Amber Bequette provided the first highlight as she stepped up to the plate in the top of the first inning with the bases loaded and give the Dragons an instant 4-0 lead with a grand slam. Ashley Schmidt tacked on a fifth run with an RBI single before the Lady Trojans had touched their bats.

Potosi cut into the instant lead as they scored three in the bottom of the first after a two-RBI single by Emily Merx and a base-loaded walk by Brianna Hall.

The Dragons got two runs back in the second with RBI singles by Melanie Huber and Makayla Bader after a two-out double by Bequette.

Potosi again threatened in the bottom of the second to load the bases, but the threat was instantly extinguished by Dragons’ third baseman Asley Viox. Viox took a hard liner on one bounce, stepped on third and tagged the runner who had started off, and she made the throw to first in time to turn a triple play.

Both pitchers settled in to silence the other team’s offense over the next two innings until the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Trojans took advantage of a pair of walks and managed four hits with Macie Turntine producing two of the four runs with a single to tie the score at 7-7.

The two teams stayed deadlock despite Potosi’s loading the bases in the tenth inning. Meghan Clapp led off the 11th inning with a bunt single. Upon attempting a steal of second, she was able to race all the way home as the throw to second went into the outfield, and the ensuing throw to third from the outfield went to the side fence instead, allowing Clapp to end the elongated game.

Third baseman Brittany Link makes a throw to second to cut down Potosi’s lead runner in the fifth inning as Farmington pitcher Alyson Tucker makes sure to be out of her way. 

Farmington’s Olivia Siebert makes sure to tag the plate for the Knights’ first run of the game as the ball gets away from Potosi catcher Emily Merx. Siebert finished the game 2-3 with a walk and three RBI’s

Potosi’s Meghan Clapp chases down a deep fly ball in front of the fence in centerfield to prevent two runs from scoring in the fourth inning.