Lady Indians rally past West Frankfort
WEST FRANKFORT - Some late clutch hitting and a plain silly defensive stand allowed the Du Quoin High School softball team to down West Frankfort 5-4 in eight innings and remain unbeaten Wednesday.
The Lady Indians (4-0) trailed by a run going into their final at-bat but Katie Smith led off the seventh with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored the tying run when Morgan Bullar roped her way into a fielder's choice.
"We were a little bit more patient and just put the ball in play," said Du Quoin coach Jason James. "Don't strike out, just go up with an aggressive attitude and put the ball in play."
Du Quoin hurler Chloe Hill got the first two outs of the bottom half with grounders on two pitches, then struck out Jenna Herron to force extra innings.
Maci McKinnies led off the eighth and grounded out, but then designated player Olivia Whitley whacked a single and was replaced at first base by pinch-runner Maya Russell, who quickly bolted to second base.
The throw to the bag beat Russell but a strong slide kept the fielder from holding onto the ball and Russell was in scoring position. It paid off because, although Avery Shivley struck out, Chloe Hess drilled a single to plate a sliding Russell with the go-ahead run.
James laughed about Russell's stolen base after the game and how it changed from disaster to opportunity in a blink.
"I didn't give her anything and she took off but she got in there," James said with a smile. "Then we get a clutch hit from a sophomore to get the lead. That was a big hit."
As fun as that was, what happened in the bottom half was downright unthinkable.
West Frankfort's Allie Herron led off and hit a rocket up the middle that Smith, the Du Quoin shortstop, dove and snagged on the dirt but couldn't get to first base for an out.
Noaah Tyson, the West Frankfort pitcher, moved Herron to third with a groundout fielded by Bullar, the third baseman, and the Lady Redbirds looked prime to tie the game.
But the next batter, Mati Hampleman, hit a comebacker to the circle and Hill fielded the ball, looked Herron back to third and fired to first for the second out.
West Frankfort went to a pinch-hitter, Kaylee Spence, and she smacked a fly ball to deep right field, where Du Quoin's Kaylee Aleshire was waiting and squeezed the final out.
"We just had to get through that batter," James said. "Katie made a great play and just didn't get the throw. She gets to third with one out and Chloe made a great play to look her back."
The high probability of West Frankfort scoring in the scenario of a runner on first with one out was not lost on James.
"Eighty percent of the time probably, might even be better than that," James said. "Chloe did a good job of hitting spots and getting a grounder and a fly ball to get us out of it."
Du Quoin's first three runs came in the third inning. Smith and Bullar both singled and scored and Grace Haney knocked out a solo homer in that rally.
Smith finished with two hits and two runs scored, Bullar had two hits and an RBI, Hill had two hits and four more batters - Whitley, Shivley, Haney and Hess - also had a hit for the Lady Indians.
Hill recorded seven strikeouts in the circle.
Du Quoin is scheduled to host Salem and New Athens in a round robin tournament on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. if weather allows.