Eagles top Stars in county softball match-up
May 3—For three innings, very little separated the Zionsville and Western Boone softball teams.
The Eagles led 1-0 thanks to an unearned run in the third inning, but the Stars were right there ready to take advantage of every chance they got.
But the second time through the line-up, the Eagles made the adjustments they needed to at the plate. Zionsville collected 10 runs on 10 hits over the final three innings, topping Western Boone 11-0.
"I felt like we were a little bit anxious early," Zionsville head coach Mike Garrett said. "We just told the girls to be a little more patient and to make sure we swung at quality pitches. The patience was the big difference. Our mechanics were fine, it was just the mental part."
For Western Boone, the errors in the field were also a worry.
The Stars committed five errors in the game leading to just three unearned runs, but made things more difficult on the three pitchers they used in the game.
The loss snapped the Stars' six-game winning streak, and head coach Mike Vanderpool said they have to put it behind them heading into the final two weeks of the season.
"We just have to forget it and move on," he said. "We didn't play well tonight. We committed too many errors, and it's just a game that we have to forget and move on."
Zionsville scored six in the fourth, loading the bases with one out before Olivia Kohler (single), Sylvia Mudis (walk) and Tess Bradford (hit by pitch) reached to make it 4-0.
Leah Helton made it 5-0 with a single, then Abbie Geib made it 7-0 with a 2-run single.
Helton hit an RBI-triple in the sixth, then scored on a Geib sacrifice fly. Taylor Martin added an RBI-triple later in the inning before scoring on a Kaylee Baxter sacrifice fly.
That was more than enough run support for the Eagles two pitchers. Helton allowed one hit in four innings, striking out seven.
Kristin Evers came in for the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out one.
Garrett said he was also proud of the way his defense made all the plays they needed to behind the pitchers, and how they communicated with one another.
"We want to keep seeing that every game, win or lose," Garrett said. "We want to make sure we are making the little improvements so we are better today than yesterday. We are starting to see that consistency."
Helton, Charli Westerfield, Christina Hardin and Hadley Bray all had two hits for the Eagles. Geib drove in three, with Helton and Bradford knocking in two.
Bradford, Westerfield and Kohler all scored twice.
Ally Lewis was 2-for-3 for the Stars.
Western Boone is back in action Tuesday against Frankfort.
"We just have to cut down our errors," Vanderpool said. "We can't commit one error, let alone four or five, against a team like Zionsville or Tri-West and expect to win. We have to play a clean game. Our pitching has gotten us through a lot of games, but when we face a good hitting team like that, we have to make the plays."
Zionsville is back in action Saturday against Guerin Catholic before traveling to Avon on Tuesday.
"We want to keep working on the situational plays," Garrett said. "Tonight, we were able to sub some girls in to get in the heat of the action, to see how they execute when it matters. We are going to try to simulate and put the pressure on the kids now, so we can get the results we are looking for."
Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.
