Emporia High showed some progress against Shawnee Heights on Friday at Trusler.
For the most part, the Spartans played two clean games defensively, got decent pitching and even got their bats going in the second game. But as it’s gone most of the season, that was not enough to come away with a win.
Shawnee Heights won Game One 6-0 and rallied to win Game Two 6-4.
“The girls continued to play all day,” coach Mike Strickland said. “They picked up their style of play a little bit there in the second game, and we played fairly well the first game. We just don’t combine enough hits right now, and right now I don’t know if we’re playing loose enough. That’s something we’re going to change a little bit and continue to work. I think we take a couple steps forward today, and as a coach, you always hate losing.”
The Lady T-Birds (8-2) came into the game on a six-game winning streak, and the Spartans (4-8) at least gave them a scare in Game Two.
Emily Giffin started the bottom of the first with a single, and Alice Tunks-Jones followed by reaching on an error. That alone was progress, considering the Spartans had only four base runners in the opener.
Giffin came around to score when Kandice Schreiner hit an RBI single, and Tunks-Jones also scored on the play because of another Heights’ error.
Shawnee Heights got one run back in the third, but Emporia answered, thanks to a tactical move made by Strickland. He moved Schreiner into the cleanup spot in Game Two, and she came up with another big hit in the third inning, a double, which moved Hannah Lynch to third and set Gabby Bohrer up to drive in Lynch on a groundout.
“I kind of wanted to step it up and get going,” Schreiner said of her move up in the lineup.
Shawnee Heights opened the fourth with back-to-back singles to cut Emporia’s lead to 3-2. Once again the Spartans had an answer. Giffin, who started Game Two at pitcher, helped herself out with an RBI single to put EHS ahead 4-2.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, Giffin could not hold onto that lead. She yielded four singles in the top of the fifth, scoring one run for Heights and loading the bases. Cassandra Huth relieved Giffin, and Heights’ pitcher Alli New welcomed Huth to the game with the biggest hit of the day, a two-run double that gave Heights a 5-4 lead.
After Lynch led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, Heights went back to Game One starting pitcher Samantha Rice. Rice retired the next three batters, and she did not give up a hit in the final three innings.
Rice also pitched the shutout in Game One. Giffin opened that game with a single, then Rice retired the next 10 Spartans. Emporia managed only three hits in 10 innings against Rice.
“She did a real good job throwing strikes all night and did a real good job of keeping us off balance and on our front foot,” Strickland said. “When you have a pitcher that does that, that’s what puts us in our situation to win games.”
In Game One, Huth held the T-Birds in check until the fourth inning when they scored three runs. Kylee Kennedy led off the inning with a home run. New followed and reached on Emporia’s only error of the game. Huth battled back and got two outs, and that’s when things got a little whacky.
Raven Nolan singled up the middle to score New, and with the ball in Huth’s hands in the circle, Nolan tried to advance to second. The Spartans got Nolan in a rundown, and just before she was tagged out, Jessica Cooper scored.
Later in the game, Heights pulled the same base-running maneuver and the Spartans could not get the out.
“There were some things in there that we knew were going to happen, on their scouting report that we had looked at. It’s just not our style of play. Defensively, we just don’t handle it very well,” Strickland said. “... To me, that’s not even being aggressive. That’s doing some things, for our style of the game and respecting the game, it’s just not our style.”
The Spartans were able to adjust to the T-Birds’ style in Game Two, but they could not hold onto to their lead. Even so, Strickland sees his team making progress, which was proven in nearly knocking off a team that has now won eight straight.
“Everybody hates losing,” Strickland said. “We’re changing the style of play for the girls right now and they’re making some progress in the way they’re handling situations. I’m happy with that. It’s just we need to continue to get better right now.”
Friday at Trusler
Game One
Shawnee Heights 001 302 0 — 6 7 0
Emporia 000 000 0 — 0 3 1
WP — Rice. LP — Huth.
2B — SH: Tetuan. HR — SH: Kennedy.
Game Two
Shawnee Heights 001 131 0 — 6 11 2
Emporia 201 100 0 — 4 7 1
WP — New. LP — Giffin.
2B — SH: Tatuan, New; EHS: Schreiner.
ecilop (anonymous) says...
How can a person (coach) who screams at and berates the officials all night talk about respecting the game? The play in question is used by virtually every team in the state. It is a fair and strategic play where you are willing to give up an out to score a run. If you are unwilling to do this then you are not allowing your girls to play on an even playing field. That's your choice. But please do not talk about respecting the game after the way that you conducted yourself. I was embarrassed for your team.
That said, I thought that the girls were much improved from last year, especially the pitching,
April 24, 2010 at 8:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )