Brooke Drake (second from left) and Osawatomie celebrate after defeating Jayhawk Linn 5-4 in nine innings in a Pioneer League tournament game Friday at Karl E. Cole Sports Complex. (Photo by David Wolmann)
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Trojans Get Chance For Revenge
Error In Ninth Allows Osawatomie To Defeat Jayhawk-Linn
By David Wolman, davidwolman@miconews.com
On April 28, Osawatomie witnessed Anderson County take the Pioneer League regular season title. But thanks to a 5-4 win over Jayhawk-Linn and a 4-0 shutout against Wellsville on Friday, the Trojans have a chance to get even with Anderson County and defeat them for a similar coveted prize: the Pioneer League tournament title.
“I think that we’re going to be well-prepared,” Trojans coach Ron Maring said. “I think that we’ve got a good shot of beating them. With the momentum we’ve had the last few games, it should really carry us.”
Anderson County and Osawatomie were scheduled to play Tuesday. Results were not available at press time.
Jenna Wendt stepped up and delivered timely pitching in Osawatomie’s win over Wellsville.
While she allowed only four hits, Wendt had to work herself out of three early jams, starting in the first inning.
Wellsville loaded the bases with one out, but Wendt responded. She struck out the next batter and then induced a ground ball to end the inning.
Wellsville again loaded the bases in the third, as its first three batters reached base. However, Wendt received a big assist from Brittney Booe. On a ground ball, Booe threw to home plate, forcing out the lead runner for the second out. Wendt then finished off the inning with a strikeout.
Wellsville stranded eight base runners through the first three innings and 11 overall.
“She kept working out of them,” Maring said of Wendt, who finished with 11 strikeouts. “She stayed focused. That was the main thing.”
Janzen Maring hit a two-run single in the third for a 2-0 Trojans lead. Caitlin Roberts led off the fourth with a single and then came around to score on an error.
Jessie French extended Osawatomie’s lead to 4-0 on an RBI single in the fifth.
Maring, French and Brooke Drake each had two hits.
Osawatomie needed a few dramatics to defeat Jayhawk-Linn in extra innings.
The arm of Laura Geiger saved a run, if not the game.
The Jayhawks looked like they were going to take a one-run lead in the ninth. Ashton Spencer got on with a one-out walk. She then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Jessica Walter hit a single, and Spencer attempted to score.
“I saw her rounding third, and I knew that I just had to wing it,” said Trojans center fielder Laura Geiger.
Geiger picked up the ball, but her throw to home plate initially appeared that it was going to sail high.
The throw was perfect as Brooke Drake easily tagged out the runner to end the inning.
“She’s got a great arm, and she put it right on the money,” coach Maring said.
Then it was Newport’s bat. She led off the bottom half of the inning with a single.
A weird ending to the game followed. Wendt hit a ball in the infield and it initially appeared that she was going to be thrown out at first.
The throw was in time, but the ball fell out of Jayhawk-Linn first baseman Taylor McGown’s glove, allowing Newport’s run to count.
“That first baseman had made some tremendous plays the first time we played them,” coach Maring said. “We believe that when you put the ball in play, you have at least a 50-50 chance of getting on. That’s our 50-50 chance. We’ll take it.”
Geiger’s RBI groundout in the sixth tied the game at 4, allowing it to get to extra innings.
Katie Newport hit an RBI ground out and Booe followed with an RBI single that fell in front of four Jayhawks for an early 2-0 Osawatomie lead.
That lead quickly disappeared as an error led to a three-run second for Jayhawk-Linn.
Jessica Walter floated a triple near the right field corner. Walter then scored on a throwing error to complete an unofficial inside-the-park home run.
Kenzy Sisson and Alexis Billingsley hit back-to-back run-scoring hits later in the inning for a 3-2 Jayhawks lead.
Wendt went 3-for-5 for the Trojans, while Drake had two hits.
“I thought that we were a little scared coming out,” coach Maring said. “But we never lost our confidence. We kept saying they we were going to come back and win.”
The Trojans did.
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“I think that we’re going to be well-prepared,” Trojans coach Ron Maring said. “I think that we’ve got a good shot of beating them. With the momentum we’ve had the last few games, it should really carry us.”
Anderson County and Osawatomie were scheduled to play Tuesday. Results were not available at press time.
Jenna Wendt stepped up and delivered timely pitching in Osawatomie’s win over Wellsville.
While she allowed only four hits, Wendt had to work herself out of three early jams, starting in the first inning.
Wellsville loaded the bases with one out, but Wendt responded. She struck out the next batter and then induced a ground ball to end the inning.
Wellsville again loaded the bases in the third, as its first three batters reached base. However, Wendt received a big assist from Brittney Booe. On a ground ball, Booe threw to home plate, forcing out the lead runner for the second out. Wendt then finished off the inning with a strikeout.
Wellsville stranded eight base runners through the first three innings and 11 overall.
“She kept working out of them,” Maring said of Wendt, who finished with 11 strikeouts. “She stayed focused. That was the main thing.”
Janzen Maring hit a two-run single in the third for a 2-0 Trojans lead. Caitlin Roberts led off the fourth with a single and then came around to score on an error.
Jessie French extended Osawatomie’s lead to 4-0 on an RBI single in the fifth.
Maring, French and Brooke Drake each had two hits.
Osawatomie needed a few dramatics to defeat Jayhawk-Linn in extra innings.
The arm of Laura Geiger saved a run, if not the game.
The Jayhawks looked like they were going to take a one-run lead in the ninth. Ashton Spencer got on with a one-out walk. She then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Jessica Walter hit a single, and Spencer attempted to score.
“I saw her rounding third, and I knew that I just had to wing it,” said Trojans center fielder Laura Geiger.
Geiger picked up the ball, but her throw to home plate initially appeared that it was going to sail high.
The throw was perfect as Brooke Drake easily tagged out the runner to end the inning.
“She’s got a great arm, and she put it right on the money,” coach Maring said.
Then it was Newport’s bat. She led off the bottom half of the inning with a single.
A weird ending to the game followed. Wendt hit a ball in the infield and it initially appeared that she was going to be thrown out at first.
The throw was in time, but the ball fell out of Jayhawk-Linn first baseman Taylor McGown’s glove, allowing Newport’s run to count.
“That first baseman had made some tremendous plays the first time we played them,” coach Maring said. “We believe that when you put the ball in play, you have at least a 50-50 chance of getting on. That’s our 50-50 chance. We’ll take it.”
Geiger’s RBI groundout in the sixth tied the game at 4, allowing it to get to extra innings.
Katie Newport hit an RBI ground out and Booe followed with an RBI single that fell in front of four Jayhawks for an early 2-0 Osawatomie lead.
That lead quickly disappeared as an error led to a three-run second for Jayhawk-Linn.
Jessica Walter floated a triple near the right field corner. Walter then scored on a throwing error to complete an unofficial inside-the-park home run.
Kenzy Sisson and Alexis Billingsley hit back-to-back run-scoring hits later in the inning for a 3-2 Jayhawks lead.
Wendt went 3-for-5 for the Trojans, while Drake had two hits.
“I thought that we were a little scared coming out,” coach Maring said. “But we never lost our confidence. We kept saying they we were going to come back and win.”
The Trojans did.