By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Camdenton Lady Lakers showed up with some serious heat and a bag full of lumber as they warmed up for their Class 4 District 10 championship showdown with the Willard Lady Tigers, at the Cooper Softball Complex in Springfield, Friday afternoon.
The Lakers then went out on the field to topple the Tigers 8-2 behind a three-hit pitching performance by senior hurler Kylee Compton and a 12-hit offensive assault, which included two home runs by sophomore sensations Emma Uthe and Shelby Webster.
It was a huge victory for the Lakers who captured a district title for the first time in their school’s history. They now move on to sectionals.
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“This is really a great group of kids. They’ve been playing together for several years so they’re all very close,” said Laker head coach Rick Calbert. “They have a great chemistry among them and I’m really proud of them, their effort and what they were all able to accomplish on the field today.”
Camdenton got out of the blocks early as the district final got underway. The Lakers used an Erin Rasmussen walk and two hits, singles by Kelly Uthe and Shelby Webster, to push two runs across the plate in the bottom of the first to grab a 2-0 lead over the Tigers.
With the score still at 2-0 in the bottom of the third Shelby Webster stepped up to the plate with a runner of first. Webster drove the ball over the left field wall to up the Laker lead to 4-0.
“She’d been throwing me high ones and I had been swinging at them,” said Webster. “But this one was low and inside, in my zone, so I went after it. It felt good to push the score up to 4-0 and it was great being able to get my team so fired up. We needed the runs to show Willard that we had come to play.”
In the top of the sixth, with the score standing at 5-0, the Lady Tigers finally got on the scoreboard. After watching Kennedy Burch reach first base on an error, and then scamper to secord, the Cats collected a single off the bat of Taylor Bagley and a double via Cheyenne Terry to score twice and close the Laker lead to 5-2.
But a lead-off homerun, by the Lakers Emma Uthe, opened the floodgates for Camdenton who went on to score three more times to put the Cats away 8-2.
“I just wanted to hit the ball hard when I stepped up to the plate,” Uthe said. “I got it all and if felt great. I was really happy to see it sail over the fence.”
While the Lakers move on for sectional play next week, the Tigers’ season came to an abrupt and emotional end.
“This was really a tough one for us, especially for the seniors who have meant so much to this program,” said Willard head coach Ashleigh Williams. “But they gave it their best today and I’m so very proud of them all.”
“We just got beat by a very good team today,” Willams said. “We wish them the best as they head on into sectional play.”
Picking up the victory was Kylee Compton. The hard throwing senior gave up just two runs on just three hits while striking out ten. She had no walks.
“I’ve been working for this moment since I was a freshman,” Compton said. “To be out there on the mound, pitching for a district title for my team, was amazing.”
Saddled with the loss was senior Bridget Rippe. Rippe gave up eight runs on twelve hits. She struck out nine and had just one walk.
Emma Uthe was perfect at the plate for the Lakers going 3-3 with a double, triple and homerun. Also having a big day was Webster who with 4-4 with three singles and a homerun.
Box Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 F
Willard 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
Camdenton 2 0 2 1 0 3 x 8
Leading hitters:
Camdenton- Emma Uthe 3-3 (2B-3B-HR), Shelby Webster 4-4 (HR), Erin Rasmussen 1-4 (2B), Haile Farris 1-4, Kelly Uthe 1-4, Kylee Compton 1-4, Faythe Rakes 1-4.
Willard- Cheyenne Terry 1-3 (2B), Taylor Bagley 1-3, Savannah Yeargan 1-3.
