Lady Spartans pick up 1st victory
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Emporia High softball team found out Tuesday night that when it plays mistake free, the results are pretty good.
The Lady Spartans won the second game of a doubleheader with Seaman, 3-2, to pick up their first victory of the season, and they did it by playing error free for the first time this season.
“We finally played a good defensive ballgame,” EHS coach Ray Owens said, “and we won. How about that?”
Emporia lost Game One, 8-4, to split the doubleheader.
In Game Two, EHS (1-5, 1-5 Centennial League) got an outstanding pitching performance from freshman Hannah Lynch, who gave up just one hit heading into the sixth inning with Emporia leading 1-0. Lynch ran into a little bit of trouble in the sixth, giving up three hits and one run to allow Seaman to tie the game at 1.
In the seventh, Tiffany Chalupa scored once to give EHS the lead again, and Emporia added what would be the winning run when a sacrifice fly from Lauren Kimble drove home Lanae Wells from third to put the Lady Spartans ahead, 3-1.
Ownes sent Lynch back out into the circle in the seventh to see if she could close out the game, but the freshman ran into more trouble when she gave up two hits and one run, which pulled Seaman to within one at 3-2.
“For a freshman, she was a trooper,” Owens said. “She was going good, so I sent her back out there, but I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
With two one and one out, Tia McAlister came on in relief and closed out the game to earn the save and give EHS its first win of the year.
Chalupa lead the way offensively by going 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
In Game One, a seven-run fourth inning by Seaman erased what had been a 3-1 Emporia lead, as the Lady Spartans fell 8-4.
McAlister was rolling through the first three innings, as she had a one-hitter going heading into the fourth.
Then, Owens said, “the wheels came off.”
Seaman scored seven runs in the fourth to take an 8-3 lead, with most of the damage coming with two outs, which knocked McAlister out of the game.
Emporia scored once in the top of the seventh but could not get any closer.
McAlister led EHS offensively by going 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI. Chalupa went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.