After the Emporia High softball team rallied to take a lead against Seaman in the first game of Tuesday night’s doubleheader, the Lady Spartans had a hard time figuring out what to do with it.
After all, leads have been hard to come by for EHS this season.
As such, Emporia had a difficult time holding on to what had been a one-run advantage for very long, as Seaman rallied to take an 8-3 victory in Game One before run-ruling the Lady Spartans, 13-2, in five innings in Game Two to sweep EHS and keep the Lady Spartans (0-8) winless on the season.
“It was a new feeling,” pitcher Hannah Lynch said of taking the lead in Game One. “But it was good that we got to feel it, because now we have an idea what that’s like and we can keep working towards it.”
Emporia showed about as much life as it had all season in the third inning of the first game.
EHS committed a combined three errors in the second and third innings that allowed Seaman to plate single runs in each inning to stake a 2-0 lead.
But that’s when Emporia took advantage of a few of Seaman’s own miscues, as the Lady Spartans scored three runs in the bottom of the third off one hit and two Seaman errors, giving EHS a 3-2 lead.
Hilary Heinrichs drew a leadoff walk and then went to third on Jennifer Lechien’s single to left. Lechien wound up at second on the play after the throw from the outfield went home instead of to a cutoff player.
Emporia then tied the score when Lynch reached first on a high throw to first by Seaman third baseman Amanda Shaffer, allowing Heinrichs and Lechien to score to tie the game at 2-all.
“It was a lot of fun,” Lechien said of the team’s attitude at that point. “Everybody was just trying to support everyone, and we were just trying to get the bats going so we could get some more runs on the board.”
The Lady Spartans in fact did get another run across when the next batter, Lexi Hileman, reached on an error by the Seaman first baseman, who could not handle the throw from Shaffer on Hileman’s bunt attempt. That allowed Lynch to score all the way from first, giving EHS the lead at 3-2.
“Everyone was so excited and happy,” Lynch said. “There was a lot of energy in the dugout and on the field.”
However, playing with the lead turned out to be easier said than done.
Seaman came back to score two runs in three of the next four innings, pounding out eight of its 12 hits while being helped out by another three EHS fielding errors to take an 8-3 lead that would stand as the final score.
Emporia, meanwhile, seemingly used all of its offense in one inning, as the Lady Spartans never threatened again.
“They’re definitely not used to playing with a lead,” EHS coach Ray Owens said. “They just put too much pressure on themselves, and every time a ball’s hit to them, they’re thinking about negative things and what could happen. When you think negative thoughts, negative things happen.”
Lynch picked up the loss in the circle for EHS, as she went all seven innings, allowing 12 hits while recording six strikeouts and walking just two.
“I felt really good actually,” she said. “I felt we were really solid, and I thought we played really well the first game.”
Lechien led the EHS offense, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
In Game Two, Seaman turned the game into a rout before Emporia even had time to respond, scoring eight runs in the first two innings thanks in part to a pair of second-inning home runs, the first being a grand slam by center fielder Sydney Sloan.
Seaman collected four hits in each of the first two innings off of EHS starter Cassandra Huth, including Sloan’s homer to center field that was followed by a solo shot from Britny Cushing that made it 8-0.
Huth battled back and only gave up one run over the next two innings, while EHS scored a pair of runs in the fourth to closed the gap to 9-2. But Huth got in more trouble in the fifth when she allowed Seaman’s first six batters to reach safely, allowing the Lady Vikings to score another four runs that would eventually make it 13-2, which forced the game to end early.
“I hated to do that to Cassandra,” Owens said. “She was struggling a little bit, but Hannah was nursing a sore shoulder, and I didn’t want to bring her back in, so we just kind of had to let her (Huth) go with it.”
Katie Weaver went 1-for-2 and scored a run to lead the Lady Spartans in Game Two. Lynch added the other run for EHS.
The Lady Spartans are back in action Friday when they travel to take on Manhattan in a doubleheader.
Game One
Seaman 8, Emporia 3
Seaman 011 220 2 — 8 12 4
Emporia 003 000 0 — 3 6 6
Sea: Burton and Beck. Emp: Lynch and Heinrichs.
W — Burton. L — Heinrichs. 2B — Sea: Cowan, Sloan 2, Beck. 3B — Sea: Cushing. HR — Sea: Burton.
Game Two
Seaman 13, Emporia 2
Seaman 350 14X X — 13 16 1
Emporia 000 20X X — 2 5 1
Sea: Wright and Shaffer. Emp: Huth and Heinrichs.
W — Wright. L — Huth. 2B — Sea: Sloan, Burton. 3B — Cushing. HR — Sea: Sloan, Cushing.