Lady Cats fall just short at Eudora

By Andy Brown
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Updated: April 18, 2016

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg junior Allyssa Griggs hurls a pitch toward catcher Emalee Overbay during the Lady Cats’ road contest Tuesday in Eudora. The Lady Cats lost both games 4-3 and 5-3.

EUDORA – The Louisburg softball team was close to its first win of the season during Tuesday’s doubleheader – oh so close.

Louisburg, which is looking for its first victory since the end of the 2014 season, nearly put an end to a forgettable streak. However, a Lady Cat error in the final inning helped give Eudora a 4-3 win in the opener and a big inning in the nightcap propelled the Cardinals to a 5-3 win.

Despite the losses, the Lady Cats are inching closer to putting this losing streak behind them thanks to the guidance of the juniors and seniors on the team.

“Our upperclassmen are really doing a great job with our freshmen,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “At any given time, we may have four freshmen in the game. The girls continue to have some growing pains, but I definitely see marked improvement.”

The Lady Cats (0-8) put up a fight as they rallied from deficits in both contests.

Eudora jumped out to a two-run lead in the opener, but with one swing of the bat, Louisburg was able to tie it up. In the fourth inning, the Lady Cats took advantage of two Eudora errors and evened the score at 2-all when Hailey Crowder doubled to score Molly Rison and Allyssa Griggs.

The Cardinals scored a run to take a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth, but again Louisburg answered. Rison led off the sixth inning with a double, and after a sacrifice by Karson Griggs, scored on a sacrifice fly by Paige Shaffer.

Freshman Kennia Hankinson tags out a runner at third Tuesday in Eudora.

In the bottom of the seventh, with a runner on, Eudora took advantage of a Louisburg error on a sacrifice bunt that allowed the Cardinals to win in walk-off fashion. It was the fifth Lady Cat error of the game.

“It was an exciting game from start to finish,” Ozier said. “We got down two different times and battled back to tie the game. The girls battled all the way to the end.”

Crowder finished with a pair of hits to lead the Wildcat offense, while Rison, Katie Baker and Kennia Hankinson each added a hit.

Allyssa Griggs started for the Lady Cats and gave up four runs, but none of them were earned. She struck out two batters and walked three.

Louisburg actually out-hit Eudora in the nightcap 6-5, but couldn’t bring those runs home. Eudora scored a run in the first to open the game, but the Lady Cats responded the next frame.

Allyssa Griggs led off with a single, Rison walked and both runners advanced on a sacrifice from Karson Griggs. Shaffer scored Griggs to tie the game on a ground out and Rison came around to score on a Baker single and give Louisburg the 2-1 lead.

It stayed that way till the bottom of the third when Eudora scored four runs off starter Kelsey Higginbotham. Allyssa Griggs pitched four innings of relief and gave up no runs and struck out five.

The Lady Cats chipped away at the lead with a run in the fourth. Baker led the inning off with a double and later scored on a ground out by Miranda White.

Unfortunately, Louisburg could not get any closer and will have to wait a little while longer for that first win.

Baker led the Lady Cat offense with a pair of hits and an RBI and Emalee Overbay added a double. White, Allyssa Griggs and Crowder also finished with a hit each and Rison walked three times.

“The second game had the potential to really get away from us,” Ozier said. “We were able to recover and made a game of it at the end. I really like the way this team battles.”