L-S softball recovers from slow start to down Baxter

BAXTER — When Lynnville-Sully head softball coach Jordan Ely took over the program in January, everyone on the Hawks’ roster was a pitcher until they weren’t.

When the dust settled, junior Kate Harthoorn was left standing and she’s taken over the role of starting pitcher for the Hawks this summer.

While things haven’t been perfect, Harthoorn was strong against Baxter on Thursday.

The Hawks got off to a slow start, but piled up 12 hits and used three crooked numbers to down the host Bolts, 12-5, in six innings during non-conference action.

“We are learning to believe in our abilities and our talents,” Ely said. “The last few years have been go out and play softball. This year, they are getting instruction and are learning how to play the game. It’s all new for them so it will take some time. They are doing a great job and getting better and better with each game.”

Baxter led 1-0 after one. The Bolts scored an unearned run in the first inning, but L-S countered with three in the third and pulled away with four in the fifth and five in the sixth.

The Hawks out-hit Baxter 12-6 to overcome five errors. The Bolts also committed three errors as four of the 18 runs scored were unearned.

“We’ve improved attitude-wise as we play more games,” Baxter head softball coach Cory Beals said. “The pitching has struggled, but we’re improving I think. We just need to be more confident.”

Beals also is in his first year as head softball coach at Baxter. He starts multiple eighth-graders and only three juniors and seniors were in the starting lineup on Thursday.

The Hawks defeated the Bolts for the sixth straight time. And it took a small rally to do it.

Baxter’s Madison Jochems reached on an error in the first inning and then took second on Lillian Grunstead’s single. Both players stole a base to move into scoring position and Jochems stole home to put the Bolts on the board.

Harthoorn reached on an error to lead off the game in the top of the first and then stole second. She was stranded on third after Baxter starting pitcher Avery Wonders got the next three batters out.

Olivia Norrish reached on an infield single with two outs in the second. She stole second base but was left stranded after Wonders got a pop out to third to end the inning.

“Tonight was our first night with slower pitching,” Ely said. “We just have to do a better job making the adjustment in game. For us, we have to start our load a little earlier than we do for our conference pitchers.”

The Hawks (5-4) made an adjustment in the third. They scored three runs to take the lead for good in the frame.

Olivia Beyer led off the inning with an infield single and then stole second. Harthoorn’s RBI double got the Hawks on the board and then she scored on Peyton Sharp’s RBI single.

Sharp then stole second before scoring on a Baxter error, but Wonders stranded the bases loaded to keep Baxter’s deficit at 3-1.

“Once we got through the lineup once and saw what she was throwing, we just had to slow our load down,” Harthoorn said. “Once we set our focus to right center, we did much better. Even if it wasn’t going to right center we were still able to hit the gaps.”

Harthoorn walked with one out in the fourth. She stole second, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Alaina Roberts and then scored on Sharp’s RBI single.

Harthoorn finished with two hits, one double, three runs, two RBIs, one walk and three steals to lead the Hawks, while Sharp registered three hits, one run, three RBIs and three steals.

“It took us a couple innings to adjust to the slower speed,” Sharp said. “I just tried to move up in the box and start my swing a lot later.”

Baxter’s Camden Moffit was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the fourth. She stole second but was injured shortly after when she dove back to second base after a line out to third.

Beals said after the game she dislocated her shoulder and is out for the rest of the season. Myah Johnston scored on Klaire Shanks’ RBI double as Moffit’s pinch runner.

“We were in this game until Camden got hurt,” Beals said. “That changed what we were going to do as a team. We had to move kids around. I think it shocked some of our kids, too, because she’s one of our leaders.”

The Hawks responded with four runs in the fifth. Ava Brummel led off the frame with a double that hit the fence in the air in left-center field.

Brummel moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on Sophia Squires’ RBI triple. Norrish was hit by a second pitch and Squires scored on Emma Johnson’s RBI ground out.

Norrish scored on an error by Baxter. Beyer reached on that error and then scored on Sharp’s RBI single to make it 8-2.

Brummel led off the sixth with a solo home run to almost the same spot where her double hit the fence. It was her first homer of the season and the second of her varsity career.

Brummel was mad at herself after her first two at-bats. She also thought the double off the fence might have been gone.

“I just tried to use my anger to my advantage and the ball went places I guess,” Brummel said. “I was hoping it was gone, too. It felt pretty good coming off the bat.”

Squires reached on an error and Norrish put two runners on with another infield single. Beyer’s RBI fielder’s choice scored Squires, Norrish scored on a wild pitch and Beyer was plated on Harthoorn’s RBI single.

Harthoorn went to second on a passed ball and then scored on Roberts’ RBI triple to cap the Hawks’ scoring.

The Bolts (1-8) plated three in the bottom of the sixth but needed four to avoid the new eight-run mercy rule.

Mallory Bottorff singled to begin the sixth and then went to second on an L-S error. Caydence Sulzle’s RBI single and Shanks’ two-run double trimmed the margin to 13-4.

Wonders reached on an error that allowed Sulzle to score, but Harthoorn got the next two batters out to end the game early.

“We’re not giving up. We just have to get some consistent hitting,” Beals said. “We can hit there but not in other places. We also have too many base running errors. We’re still learning some stuff.”

Norrish finished with two hits, two runs and one steal and was hit by two pitches, Brummel homered, doubled, scored two runs and had one RBI and Squires tripled, scored two runs, had one RBI and stole one base.

Roberts tripled and had one RBI, Beyer totaled one hit, three runs, one RBI and one steal and Jakeira Hay walked once.

Johnson posted one RBI and Katelyn Nikkel stole one base.

Harthoorn (5-4) tossed six innings in the circle and allowed five runs — three earned — on six hits and one hit batter. She struck out six.

Prior to this season, Harthoorn had not pitched since junior high.

“We’re trying it out. It’s getting better,” Harthoorn said. “I’m getting used to it, and I think I’m improving a lot. I feel a lot more confidence in myself after these last two games. I’ve learned a lot from our coach, too.”

Shanks led the Bolts with three hits, one double and three RBIs and Grunstead, Bottorff and Sulzle all had one hit.

Sulzle finished with one run and one RBI, Bottorff scored one run and stole one base, Grunstead and Emileigh Beals swiped one base and Jochems stole two bases and scored one run.

Moffit was hit by a pitch and stole one base and Huffaker scored one run.

Wonders took the pitching loss after allowing nine runs — eight earned — on nine hits, two walks and two hit by pitches. She struck out two in 5 1/3 innings.

Katt Wing got two outs in the circle but not before surrendering four runs — three earned — on three hits.

“We’re going to try to be positive with every game,” Beals said. “I think we can get to five or six wins this year. I know they can do it. They just need to get some confidence.”