Kaitlyn Spradlin hit two home runs and West Plains pounded out 17 hits en route to a 10-5 win over Lebanon on Tuesday at Boswell Park.
The contest was a match of teams that opened the season in different ways, and are going in opposite directions as the season winds down to an end.
West Plains (15-5 overall, 8-1 Ozark Conference) started its season 1-3 but enter Wednesday's seed meeting having won 14 of its last 16 games. West Plains head coach Don Long said following the contest the Zizzers have a good shot at being the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Class 3 District 11 tournament.
Lebanon (6-10 overall, 2-6 Ozark Conference) opened the season going 3-1 but Tuesday's loss was the 'Jackets is its fourth straight and its fifth in its last six games.
“For some reason we can’t catch a break," Lebanon head coach Stanley Crum said. "This was a close ball game until the last inning and we have played so many games this year where we came up just short.
“It has been a tough couple of weeks. The girls have stuck together and their spirits are still high. They know we have played good enough softball to win on most days we have just had some tough breaks.”
The Zizzers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on Tuesday in the first inning thanks to consecutive doubles to start the game. Carsyn Smith doubled to open the game and later came home on an RBI double by Abbey Gann.
West Plains scored its second run in ht frame on a wild pitch, but in a recurring theme in the contest, the Zizzers lost a runner at third and the frame later came to an end with West Plains having scored just two runs despite three hits and a walk.
The second inning opened with a single by Allison Sims and and Spradlin followed with a two-run homer, but after a walk and a single West Plains had a pair of runners caught stealing and the frame ended with the Zizzers holding a 4-0 lead.
In the third, West Plains strung together four straight hits, including back-to-back doubles, but scored just one run. With one out, Hadley Taylor doubled and scored when Abby Thompson followed with a double. But with runners at second and one out, West Plains lost a runner that was picked off third, and another at the plate trying to score from second on a single into the outfield.
West Plains later lost two baserunners in run downs on the same play in the sixth, but forced the issue in the seventh and scored four insurance runs to turn a 6-2 lead into a 10-2 lead.
"We really pushed the envelop on the bases and they made all the plays until the last inning and they kind of threw it away," West Plains head coach Don Long said. "We try to be aggressive and push the envelop and make people make plays."
Those runs became crucial in the bottom of the seventh when Cally Blattel hit a three-run homer to pull the 'Jackets within 10-5.
Chloe Johnson followed Blattel's home run with a double, but Gann retired the next two Lebanon batters to end the game. Gann got the win in the circle for West Plains and allowed six hits, walked five and struck out 11.
"We hit the ball well, especially Spradlin who hit the two home runs," Long said. "That is probably the worst game (Gann) has thrown, she walked four or five and struggled to get ahead (in the count), but when it counted she came through for us.
"We'll take it."
Spradlin added a sole home run in the third to give West Plains a 5-0 lead, her sixth home run of the season. She finished the game 3 for 4.
"She is kind of all or nothing and we put her down there and she jacks it," Long said.
Lebanon has one contest remaining on Monday at Hillcrest, then will compete in the Missouri Class 4 District 10 tournament where the 'Jackets will first play Central at 5 p.m. on Oct. 5 at Cooper Softball Complex.
“I told the girls to keep their heads up," Crum said. "We have nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t think we made very many errors tonight, and if you look at the scorecard you will see that West Plains hit the ball. When you get behind like that early in the ballgame it is tough to catch up, but our girls never quit and almost had it tonight.”
High school softball
WEST PLAINS 10, LEBANON 5
on Tuesday, at Boswell Park
West Plains 221 100 4 — 10
Lebanon 002 000 3 — 5
