By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer
West Plains, Mo. — The runs came too little and too late for the hottest Class 3 team in the region Saturday afternoon. Winners of 21 of 24 games, a late five-run two-inning rally wasn’t enough for West Plains as the Zizzers fell at home to Sullivan, 8-5.
Sullivan jumped on the Zizzers early, taking advantage of three errors to carry an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning and holding off a late West Plains push over the host’s final six outs.
The Zizzers trailed 8-0 in the sixth inning before finally finding some gaps off Sullivan starter Addison Purvis. An Abbi Thompson single cut the West Plains deficit to 8-2 in the sixth after a Hadley Taylor double.
CLICK HERE FOR SULLIVAN VS. WEST PLAINS PHOTO GALLERY
In the seventh, the Zizzers’ bats came alive again. A Kasey Bonham single brought West Plains within five. Then, an error on a Thompson ground ball scored two more and put Zizzers runners on second and third. But with the tying run at the plate and two outs on the scoreboard, Purvis closed the door, sending her Eagles to the Class 4 Final 4.
“They don’t give up,” West Plains head coach Tom Long said of his team. “They just keep battling. That’s what I like about this team. We’re probably not the most talented, but we work hard and grind it out. That’s a fun part as a coach and it’s something that takes you a long way in athletics and in life.”
Errors and a lack of timely hitting were the culprits for West Plains. The Zizzers allowed four unearned runs (unofficial) and left runners in scoring position in four innings.
Sullivan did most of its damage during a six-run third inning. Hannah Cox and Kloey Blanton knocked RBI singles off Gann. The other four runs in the third were unearned, including two that crossed on a throwing error off a bunt.
“[Gann] was a little bit off today but she’s pitched real well for us all season,” Long said. “We’re just blue-collar kids. We should be able to build on this season. We have a good nucleus coming back.”
That nucleus includes six starters, including Gann, who finished 2016 with a 22-5 record, 1.63 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 240 strikeouts in 171 innings.
The Zizzers won 21 of their final 24 games after a 1-3 start, seemingly cementing themselves as the area’s best Class 3 program by the end of the regular season and backing that up with a district title and a state sectional win over Monett.
[NOTE: The following batting statistics do not include this quarterfinal game.]
Kasey Bonham led West Plains this season with 46 hits and a .465 average, putting up a team-high 13 doubles and tying for the team lead with 15 extra-base hits. Karsyn Smith matched Bonham’s 15 XBH, batting .426 with a team-high 30 runs and 16 steals. Smith also recorded a team-high 18-game hitting streak. Hadley Taylor’s 27 RBIs were a team-high.
Four Zizzers finished with two home runs: Smith, Gann, Taylor, Kaylee Spradlin.
As a team, West Plains knocked 64 doubles, six triples and nine home runs this season, batting .324 as a team.
West Plains beat Hillcrest, 10-3, and Rogersville, 7-5, to win its district tournament. They went on to beat Monett, 6-4, in sectionals to advance to their first quarterfinal in program history.
INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sullivan 0 0 6 0 1 1 0
West Plains 0 0 0 0 0 2 3
