After two rounds of blowouts where the closest margin of victory was nine runs, the District 12 spring softball championship offered a nice change of pace with a good old fashioned pitchers’ duel.
Stockton’s Hannah Ewing got the upper hand on Skyline’s Savannah Owen as the second-seeded host Lady Tigers earned their second straight district title with a 3-0 shutout over their Mid-Lakes Conference rivals, who were the top seed.
The two hurlers matched zeroes through the first four innings although Stockton threatened early but left six runners on base in the initial three frames.
“We were starting to get a little tense ourselves,” said Stockton coach Lisa Kenney. “A lot of times if we settle down, we’re fine. We have some girls that can put the bat on the ball.”
Stockton broke through in the top of the fifth as leadoff hitter Harlly Gray drilled a single to left field that got away from the outfielder, allowing Gray to wind up on third base. She raced home as Ewing grounded back to the box to put Stockton up 1-0.
“I just got up there and said I can do it,” Gray recalled. “I knew that we needed some runs.”
In the sixth, Rachel Merrick beat out an infield single on the left side and later stole second. She took third on Kayla Smith’s sacrifice grounder and scored on a single to right field by Lauren Rhodes.
Stockton added a key insurance run in the seventh as Merrick singled home Taylor Greenlee.
That would prove important as Skyline—who had beaten Stockton two out of three times this season—looked to rally in the bottom of the seventh. Taylor Pinon reached on an error with one out, then—after a fly ball from Taylor Carver—pinch hitter Courtney Patton singled to center to bring the potential tying run to the plate. Ewing buckled down and struck out Jenna Carter swinging, her ninth “K” of the final.
Ewing allowed five Skyline hits and only walked one in the complete game. “Hannah did a great job,” said Kenney.
She also got some great defense from her batterymate Taylor Greenlee, who made three diving catches including one that led to a double play when a baserunner strayed from first.
“It’s just something that happens in the moment,” Greenlee said of her heroics. “I just give it my all and whatever happens, happens. If it pays off like it did, then I’m very proud of it and I’m proud for the good things my team does for me and the support they give me, and I’m working for them.”
Owen, meanwhile, turned in a respectable performance in a losing effort, scattering nine hits and three walks while fanning nine.
“It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season,” said Skyline coach Jonathan Owen. “Right there, they [Stockton] just get one run in a row the last three innings, and we just couldn’t quite get the bat on the ball like we normally can. We usually average about eight and a half runs a game, but they shut us out and their pitcher did a good job.”
For Stockton, a return to the state sectionals will be a big difference from a year ago, where the Lady Tigers started 0-9 and wound up fourth in the state. This year, they know they have a target on their backs.
Kenney said, “For our older girls, it’s huge that they’ve been there before and they’re kind of like, ‘We’ve got this, we’ve got this.’ And part of that is being able to come through and win like we did last year.”
“It’s redemption for last year,” said Ewing, remembering how Stockton lost its last two games at state. “We’re going back.”
Stockton will host Liberal in the sectional game on Monday at 5 PM.
Stockton 000 011 1—3 9 1
Skyline 000 000 0—0 5 2
Hannah Ewing & Taylor Greenlee; Savannah Owen & Payton DaMitz
Hits: Stockton—Harlly Gray, Hannah Ewing 2, Taylor Greenlee, Aimee Garver, Rachel Merrick 3, Lauren Rhodes. Skyline—Courtney Story, McKinsey Mountain, Cheyenne Story.
