Softball Finishes 2-3 At The Ozark’s Fall Festival

Sullivan competed against Class 4 and 5 teams in the Ozark’s Fall Festival at Kickapoo this past weekend. On Sep. 8, the Lady Eagles lost their first two games against Kickapoo and Neosho but emerged victorious against Truman. Then, on the following day, Sullivan beat Excelsior Springs and was defeated by Republic.

Kickapoo

The Lady Eagles came up short, losing 5-4 to Kickapoo. In total, Sullivan collected just 4 hits, with Ava Declue leading the team with 2.

A single by Declue drove in the first run by McKynlee Peterson. In the top of the fourth, Rae Corwin and Madison Ortner both scored off Peterson’s grounder. To take a 4-3 lead, a fly ball by Molly Lohden allowed Morgan Braun to score. But the Lady Chiefs came back to win with a two-run walkoff.

Starting pitcher Evvie Blankenship gave up 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks and 2 earned runs.

Neosho

Sullivan struggled against Neosho, falling behind 6-2 in their second game. Neosho took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Dorie Richardson hit a home run to center field, allowing her and Lohden to score the only runs for Sullivan. Overall, the Lady Eagles racked up 5 hits, with Lohden leading the team with 2. Declue, Richardson and Venable each had one.

Pitcher Lohden started for three innings, giving up 6 hits and 5 runs. Mia Pridemore came in for relief at the top of the fourth.

Truman

Sullivan secured their first victory of the tournament against Truman with a score of 2-0. The Lady Eagles excelled defensively, recording 18 outs and effectively controlling the diamond.

Starting pitcher Declue allowed only five hits, forced a strikeout and kept the opposition from scoring. Declue and Blankenship led the team with 2 hits each, while Lohden and Blankenship each contributed one RBI.

Braun scored Sullivan’s first run in the top of the fourth when Lohden grounded into fielder’s choice. Richardson later made it home when Blankenship hit a line drive.

Excelsior Springs

Sullivan performed well in a morning victory against Excelsior Springs, winning 8-4. Hayli Venable hit two home runs over the fence and drove in four runs. Lohden had a team-high of 3 runs and 4 at-base appearances. Declue, Blankenship and Corwin each contributed a run off of Venable’s first homer.

In total, the Lady Eagles stole four bases in the game, with two coming from Richardson. They also had a tournament-high of 10 hits and 8 RBIs in this matchup. Declue was the winning pitcher and Blankenship came in as relief for the last two innings.

Republic

In their final match against Republic, Sullivan faced an 8-4 defeat. Despite making eight hits compared to the Tigers’ four, the Lady Eagles struggled to stop their scoring at the end.

The Lady Tigers surged ahead with four consecutive runs in the bottom of the second inning. Sullivan fought back, with Richardson and Declue scoring on the same play as the basemen attempted to chase them down. Ortner scored as Peterson grounded out, narrowing the lead to 4-3 in favor of the Lady Tigers.

In the top of the fourth, Lohden tied the game, but the Lady Tigers managed to score four consecutive runs to secure an 8-4 victory.

Upcoming Events

Softball played against Troy Buchanan on Monday, Sep. 11 and Owensville on Sep. 12. Results were unavailable at press time.

Sullivan will host Union on Thursday, Sep. 14, for Youth Recognition Night at 4:30 p.m. They will then travel to play at Francis Howell on Sep. 18 and St. Clair on Sep. 19.