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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Raymore-Peculiar and pitcher Camryn Stickel had a familiar strategy against Kickapoo in Monday’s Class 4 quarterfinals.
Pitch the Lady Chiefs like Webb City did.
“We watched film from that game and quite frankly, we patterned a lot of what we did based on how Webb (City) threw against them,” said Ray-Pec coach Jim Brown, referencing Webb City’s 9-1 win over Kickapoo on Oct. 14. “And that seemed to work.”
Stickel used a steady changeup and pinpoint location to keep the Kickapoo bats in check.
Ray-Pec jumped out to a five-run lead after three innings on its way to a 7-1 victory over the Lady Chiefs.
“I thought (Stickel’s) location was outstanding,” said Kickapoo coach Jason Howser. “She threw the ball where she wanted to and commanded the strike zone.”
Kickapoo stranded a runner on second in each of the first three innings, but finished with just four hits overall.
“We couldn’t get that timely hit,” Howser said. “Our girls have competed well all year. I thought they competed well today. It’s something where you just have to tip your hat to the other team.”
Stickel, who improved to 22-5 overall on the season with a 1.20 ERA, struck out seven and issued a lone walk.
“She was sneaking the changeup in enough that (Kickapoo) couldn’t really load up on her,” Brown said. “And then we went inside with a lot of rise balls.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The Panthers (25-5 overall) will make a return trip to Springfield next week. They face Northwest (Cedar Hill) (26-4 overall) at 10 a.m. Friday in a Class 4 semifinal matchup at Killian Softball Complex.
Ray-Pec finished third at state a year ago.
“They’ve kind of been on a mission all (season),” Brown said of his players. “This was the culmination of, ‘We want to get back to state.’”
Five of Ray-Pec’s seven runs came with two outs.
After a two-out walk in the first, Ray-Pec cleanup hitter Laney Killpack crushed the first pitch she saw over the fence in right center for a two-run homer.
Ray-Pec, leading 3-0 at the time, got another two-out rally in the third. A hit-by-pitch and Kickapoo error put two runners on for eight-hole hitter Brooke Law. She plated both with a two-out, two-run double.
“They just kept tacking on (runs), which is something we’ve been able to do all year,” Howser said.”
Brown said Ray-Pec’s gotten that kind of production all season. The Panthers’ lineup features seven players with on-base percentages of .400 or better.
“We’ve been pretty steady,” Brown said. “When the top half’s cold, the bottom half picks us up. And vice versa. They’ve been fun to watch.’
Senior Kenzie Walker accounted for Kickapoo’s lone run with a homer in the seventh inning.
Howser was happy to see Walker homer in her final career at-bat. He estimated Walker, who also doubled in the second inning, has about a dozen homers on the season.
“She’s been a tremendous player for us, a great teammate and a great young lady,” he said.
Kickapoo finishes 24-6 overall. The Lady Chiefs set a single-season program record for wins, won their second-ever district title and won a playoff game for the first time.
Kickapoo graduates just three seniors in Walker and outfielders Bri Mumm and Bella Miller.
“All of seniors did a great job with leadership this year,” Howser said. “If we want to get to the final four next year, (Ray-Pec) gives us a measuring stick for what we need to be doing.”
