Cougs-Lady Vikes ready for a sectional Buggy Bowl
May 22—North Daviess and Barr-Reeve won in very different ways on Tuesday at the ND softball sectional.
The Cougars dominated in all aspects in their 15-0, run-rule win over Shoals, while B-R had to battle back from a 6-1 deficit late in the game for a 7-6 walk-off to get by Loogootee.
North Daviess 15, Shoals 0
ELNORA — North Daviess left little to the imagination in the first game of the ND sectional semi-finals on Tuesday.
ND needed just 4.5 innings to and gave up just one hit (to the game's first batter) during the 15-0 win.
In their half of the first, the Cougars wasted no time getting on the board, after two walks, two hit basemen and a pair of wild pitches chased Shoals' Kensie Perry from the circle and brought in Hadley Hawk to pitch. The Cougars ended the inning with 11 runs including a two-run homer from Ocie Pershing, a two-run triple from Maddie Knepp, along with doubles from Hannah Yoder and Kasey Freed. ND scored 11 runs on six hits, essentially putting the game out of reach in the first inning.
Cougar Tori Smith started the game in the circle for ND and faced four batters and struck out three. She was replaced by Maddie Knepp in the second inning and she came up three Ks as well.
The Cougars added a pair of runs in the second, including a run scoring single from Maliah Swartzentruber that made it 13-0. ND substituted liberally allowing everyone a taste of the sectional win, and added two more runs in the third to make it 15-0. Kinlee Stahl and Swartzentruber both doubled in the fourth for the Cougars before the Cougars made quick work of the final half inning to move on to the championship on Wednesday and still have plenty of pitching choices available for the upcoming battle.
Barr-Reeve 7, Loogootee 6
ELNORA — The Barr-Reeve Viking softball team used a four-run, seventh-inning rally to comeback for a 7-6 victory over Loogootee in the second game of the North Daviess sectional semi-finals.
B-R found timely hitting late in the game and just the right combination of pitching changes to squeeze out the win in a game they trailed in until the final two batters.
Viking Karlye Graber started out with three quick outs to open the game, while B-R was able to load the bases in their half of the inning, but unable to score. The Lions responded with two hits of their own in the top of second, but Graber was able to finish of the inning with a strikeout.
However, the Lions were the first one on the board in the top of the third. Emily Hawkins reached followed by a run-scoring single from Allie Henninger. Henninger then made it 2-0 also scoring on a single.
The Lions added another two runs with no outs with hits from Sydney Wittmer, Ava Jeffers and Madi Waggner, leading to a pitching change and Kennedy Huff taking the rubber. The Lions added a third run against Huff and went into the bottom of fifth with a 5-0 lead.
The Vikes then began to threaten in the bottom of the fourth. B-R loaded the bases and with an out, Hallie Knepp hit a long fly that drove in B-R's first run to make it 5-1. Loogootee added a run back in the top of the fifth, B-R was not ready to roll over. The Vikes loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, scoring Addi Jones but the treat ended with B-R down 6-2.
Graber re-entered for Barr-Reeve in the circle in the top of the inning and gave up just one hit. Heddinger continued to bend but not break for the Lions on the mound. B-R clawed back as Addi Jones drove in a run with a double to make it 6-3, but the Lions put out the fire without any more damage.
In the seventh, the Vikes were down to their final three outs of the season when Syd Wilson legged out a single and Natalie Stoll was hit by a pitch. Kira Stoll then singled in a run to make it 6-4 and put the tying run on second. A hit from her made it 6-5 and Hallie Knepp made it 6-6 with an RBI single. She then scored on a ball hit from Huff that ended up in centerfield and allowed Knepp to score the winning run and complete the comeback.
The Vikings take on the Cougars at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
