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Independence, MO —
Monday’s game between the Fort Osage and William Chrisman softball teams might not have been pretty for either side. But it was also exactly the kind of contest each squad’s coach has been looking for.
The Bears allowed three runs on an error in the first inning and gave up three home runs in the game while Fort nearly squandered three separate leads. But the Indians held on for a 9-8 Suburban Middle Seven Conference victory at Fort Osage High School and both coaches issued a bevy of postgame comments for the effort.
Kenzi Mickey put Fort (8-8, 5-2 conference) up 9-7 in the sixth inning on her second home run of the game, but Chrisman placed runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the seventh. Emile Garner then blasted a double to center field that scored Raven Swope. With Jordan Hall sprinting from second to third, Chrisman coach Lindsey Ramsey elected to wave her home, Fort’s Kelsey McIntyre returned the ball to Katy Divers at shortstop who rocketed a perfect relay throw to catcher Mercedes Marriott, who blocked the plate and held on for the final out after a sliding Hall collided with her at the plate.
“In the past we’ve had some rough (relay throws),” Fort coach Kelly Sullivan said. “That’s kind of one of our battles we’ve had this season is hitting our (cutoffs) the right way. A play like that is all about timing. ... It had to be a perfect throw and that’s exactly what it was.”
No doubt, the Bears (4-16, 2-6) were disappointed after such a heartbreaker. But they remained upbeat after battling back from multiple deficits. Earlier in the season, Ramsey talked about her club’s inability to overcome one or two bad innings – like in the Bears’ 14-1 loss to Fort in the first week of the season. That’s a habit they appear to be kicking.
And while the ending was unfortunate, nobody was questioning the decision to send Hall.
“I just think we’re being aggressive,” said sophomore catcher Kyana Mason, who finished 4-for-4 with a run scored. “If the throw was one foot to either side it would have been a tie ballgame. We’re just trying to take the extra base and be aggressive.”
After falling behind 3-0, Chrisman scored a run in the second on Hall’s RBI groundout and went up 4-3 in the third as Marina Thomas, Aubrie Dial and Jessica Roland all drove in runs.
Monday’s game between the Fort Osage and William Chrisman softball teams might not have been pretty for either side. But it was also exactly the kind of contest each squad’s coach has been looking for.
The Bears allowed three runs on an error in the first inning and gave up three home runs in the game while Fort nearly squandered three separate leads. But the Indians held on for a 9-8 Suburban Middle Seven Conference victory at Fort Osage High School and both coaches issued a bevy of postgame comments for the effort.
Kenzi Mickey put Fort (8-8, 5-2 conference) up 9-7 in the sixth inning on her second home run of the game, but Chrisman placed runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the seventh. Emile Garner then blasted a double to center field that scored Raven Swope. With Jordan Hall sprinting from second to third, Chrisman coach Lindsey Ramsey elected to wave her home, Fort’s Kelsey McIntyre returned the ball to Katy Divers at shortstop who rocketed a perfect relay throw to catcher Mercedes Marriott, who blocked the plate and held on for the final out after a sliding Hall collided with her at the plate.
“In the past we’ve had some rough (relay throws),” Fort coach Kelly Sullivan said. “That’s kind of one of our battles we’ve had this season is hitting our (cutoffs) the right way. A play like that is all about timing. ... It had to be a perfect throw and that’s exactly what it was.”
No doubt, the Bears (4-16, 2-6) were disappointed after such a heartbreaker. But they remained upbeat after battling back from multiple deficits. Earlier in the season, Ramsey talked about her club’s inability to overcome one or two bad innings – like in the Bears’ 14-1 loss to Fort in the first week of the season. That’s a habit they appear to be kicking.
And while the ending was unfortunate, nobody was questioning the decision to send Hall.
“I just think we’re being aggressive,” said sophomore catcher Kyana Mason, who finished 4-for-4 with a run scored. “If the throw was one foot to either side it would have been a tie ballgame. We’re just trying to take the extra base and be aggressive.”
After falling behind 3-0, Chrisman scored a run in the second on Hall’s RBI groundout and went up 4-3 in the third as Marina Thomas, Aubrie Dial and Jessica Roland all drove in runs.
The Indians quickly responded in the bottom of the third as Mickey blasted a two-run homer and Lauren Schletzbaum followed with a solo shot.
Mickey, who also finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs and scored twice, later took a ground ball to the face at third base after it took a bad hop, but remained in the game and hit her second homer her next time up. After blowing leads and losing three straight games to Staley, Grain Valley and Belton, that was exactly the kind of leadership Sullivan said the Indians needed.
“That’s the kind of players we need,” Sullivan said. “Players that just keep battling through the tough stuff.”
The Bears pulled within 6-5 in the fourth as Hall scored on a Fort error and then they tied it in the fifth on Dial’s sacrifice fly.
Divers, who also reached twice and scored, came up with a key two-RBI double in the fifth to give Fort an 8-6 advantage. Jessica Kreissler cut the Bears’ deficit in half with a run-scoring single in the sixth before Mickey answered with her second homer in the Indians’ half of the frame.
Although Chrisman tallied 16 hits – with Thomas, Hall, Roland and Taylor Wiskur stroking two apiece – Kaitlin Mickey held on for the victory in the circle.
Marriott ended 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs for Fort. Schletzbaum, Felicia Gwinn and Grace Stephens all added two hits.
“Whenever we needed those hits, we got them,” Schletzbaum said. “Those key hits just made everything work out and that’s how we got the win.”
