By Nolan Epstein/For OzarksSportsZone.com
After putting up 11 double-digit wins in 2016, Crane (1-0) picked up right where it left off – exploding for 18 runs to overwhelm host Marionville (1-3) on Thursday in the Lady Pirates’ season opener.
A quiet first inning was more than made up for with a loud seven-run second, followed by a combined eleven runs over the next four frames to ultimately give Crane an impressive 18-8 victory in six innings.
“The first game is always the worst, getting those first-game jitters out,” said second-year head coach Hannah Keeth after the win. “I was proud of them for coming up, making plays and getting hits when we needed to get hits. Our hitting has always been there.”
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Five different players in Keeth’s starting lineup recorded multiple hits in the contest, but perhaps no Lady Pirate enjoyed her day at the plate more than sophomore McKenzie Funcannon, who went 4-for-5 and collected an RBI.
Senior Sadie Burke also chipped in with three hits of her own.
“I just liked how we played as a team,” Keeth added. “I don’t think one person really stood out because we scored 18 runs. Everybody did their part to get the ‘W’ tonight.”
Despite the 10-run defeat, Marionville head coach Mark Estep was far from hesitant to point out his team’s ability to bring in runs as well – particularly off a first team all-conference pitcher in sophomore Olivia Edwards.
Edwards, who racked up 136 strikeouts on her way to a 15-6 record a season ago, gave up eight hits to the Lady Comets as Marionville managed to score at least two runs in three of its offensive innings.
“I’ve known her for several years and she is just an excellent pitcher,” Estep said of Edwards. “To be able to score eight runs off of her, we’re going to be happy with that and work on the defense and pitching later. She has played travel ball for me for several years, and to score eight runs is quite an accomplishment for our girls.”
And things only look to get better for a Lady Comets squad that only scored a total of ten runs during a six-game losing streak to begin the 2016 campaign. Following a competitive showing at the Shelby Estep Memorial Scholarship Tournament this past weekend, the bats are showing signs of staying warm for a while.
“We’ve never had a feeder softball program here, so a lot of the girls that come in have never played for four, five or six years,” said Estep. “We start from the ground floor and work our way up, so I’m really proud of our offense and the progress it’s made.”
Both teams are back in action on Monday as Crane travels to play Sparta, while Marionville hosts Purdy.
