By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Through three innings on Tuesday, visiting Miller had tallied just two baserunners and one hit and trailed top-seeded Purdy 2-0 on the Eagles’ home field.
But the Cardinals erupted late and managed to hold on for a 10-9 win in the Class 1 District 5 softball championship, giving Miller its second district title in a row – and Miller’s senior class a sixth-straight district championship including volleyball and basketball.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” head coach Audrey LaSalle said. “I think we came out ready to play. It’s a point where you can be really intimidated by this team or you can meet it. We came out hitting and I knew if we could hit we could definitely battle. Rachel Nunez started us off with a home run and we just built off of that.”
Nunez led off the top of the fourth with a home run to right field to make it a 2-1 game, and Addison Stockton tied it up with a bloop single to center to score Lillie Ricketts.
The teams combined to score 15 more runs in the final three innings.
Miller broke things open with four runs in the top of the fifth for a 6-2 lead. Hailey Mart, Haylie Schnake, Nunez, Alyssa Hill and Stockton each singled in the inning. Nunez drove in the first run and Hill drove in two more. Then, with the bases loaded, Marissa Laxton was hit by a pitch to score another.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
The Cardinals added even more in the sixth. Mart and Schnake singled and Nunez lined a single to right to make it 8-2. It was 9-2 after a wild pitch scored a runner from third.
“Every time Rachel Nunez got up we had people on base and she drove them in,” LaSalle said. “Each one of those seemed like a big moment of the game but I would also say that Hailey Mart made some phenomenal plays at shortstop. She had a diving catch here after we had a call that wasn’t in our favor. She came back and got it done anyway. That’s the senior mentality and I think that was a huge thing.”
Purdy (24-10), which hadn’t allowed a run in district wins against Hurley and Crane, managed to claw its way back into the game in the bottom of the sixth with a five-run outburst.
Jessi Hoppes doubled in a run and Gabriela Groomer scored two more with a single off the fence in center field. Rosa Schad drove in another with a single to left, and Raeley Henderosn made it 9-7 with an RBI infield single.
Mart’s diving catch at short ended the inning with runners at first and third.
Miller’s Ashlynn Helton drew a walk to lead off the seventh and later scored on a throwing error to make it 10-7.
Purdy didn’t go down quietly, though. The Eagles put runners at second and third with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh, and Groomer drove both in with a single to left.
Again, Mart came up with a nice play at shortstop, though, and she ended the game by fielding a grounder and racing to second for the force.
“My freshman pitcher (Groomer) hurt her arm and we had to take her out, things just didn’t go real well for us,” Purdy coach Lori Videmschek said. “We had chances to score. You’ve got to give them credit. They came up with some good plays when they needed to. We just didn’t pitch it real well today. We had chances to score in quite a few innings with runners at second and third with one out and couldn’t put the ball in play.”
“We just have to bounce back,” she said. “We’re pretty young and only lose one kid, my first baseman (Kavery Postlewait). She played a heck of a game for us today and got on base every time. I’m really proud of her. We’ll be back, work on some things and get better.”
Tuesday marked the second-straight season that Miller ended Purdy’s season. Last year it was in the district semifinals.
The Cardinals, now 20-5 and winners of 11 of 12, will play May 16 in the quarterfinals against the Liberal/Jasper winner. Those teams play for the District 6 championship on Wednesday. Jasper defeated Miller in last year’s quarterfinal matchup en route to a state championship appearance.
“We’re ready to keep going, I know that,” LaSalle said.
