The Emporia High girls softball team showed some flashes of life early on in a doubleheader against Topeka West on Friday in Topeka, but it simply was not enough.
Topeka West swept both games from the Lady Spartans, taking a pair of run-rule wins by scores of 16-2 and 11-0, both in five innings.
But after getting shut out and recording just one hit last week in a doubleheader against Washburn Rural, EHS coach Ray Owens said his squad made progress.
“They had two real nice pitchers, but we made contact here and there,” Owens said. “We looked better with the bats, but we’ve still got a long ways to go.”
Most of Emporia’s offensive glimmer came in Game One.
Hilary Heinrichs had a two-out triple in the first inning, but EHS could not get her home, and Topeka West took a 6-0 lead by the end of the second frame.
However, Emporia answered with a two-run outing in its half of the third to draw to within four at 6-2.
Cassandra Huth led off with a double and eventually scored on a single by Jenn Lechien. Lechien then made it home thanks to Emporia’s second triple of the day, this one coming from Hannah Lynch.
“After that, I thought, ‘Hey, maybe we can get something going,’” Owens said.
The spark Owens was hoping for would not come, though, as Topeka West answered with 10 runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 16-2 lead, which held until the fifth-inning run-rule ended the game.
In Game Two, again, Emporia made more contact at the plate, collecting another five hits, but this time, none of those hits resulted in runs, as West took an 11-0 victory after five innings.
Huth led the way with a 2-for-2 performance at the plate, including a double.
After going scoreless in the first, West plated two runs in the second before reeling off five in the third and four in the fourth.
“We’ve got to get the kids some confidence,” Owens said. “They get up to the plate, and if they’re not successful, they think the world’s going to end. We’re trying to instill in them that they are playing a sport where if you get three hits out of 10, you’re good.
“They don’t see it that way, so we’ve got to work to continue to build confidence.”
Emporia will be back in action Monday with a home doubleheader against St. Thomas Aquinas.