Lady Cats shine in sweep of Osawatomie

By Andy Brown
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Updated: April 25, 2017

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg pitcher Kelsey Higginbotham brings a pitch home during an April 18 game in Baldwin. Although the Lady Cats lost two games in Baldwin, they responded with a sweep of Osawatomie on Thursday.

OSAWATOMIE – The Louisburg High School softball team was just waiting for its offense to turn around.

The Lady Cats had scored 12 runs in its last four games – all of which resulted in losses. They were hitting the ball hard, but couldn’t put together the big innings.

All that changed Thursday in Osawatomie.

Louisburg used a five-run third inning to propel it to a 7-1 victory over the Trojans in the doubleheader opener. The Lady Cats then followed it up five-run fifth inning in the nightcap that helped them to an 11-5 win.

It was a pair of wins the Lady Cats needed and it bumped their record to 5-7 on the season.

Sophomore Karson Griggs had a big day at the plate in the opener as she was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and also had as solo home run, while fellow sophomore Madison Svoboda had a pair of hits and 2 RBIs.

Svoboda had a key hit in the Lady Cats’ big third inning as she singled with the bases loaded that scored a pair of runs. Molly Rison, who was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and drove in the first run, came around to score on an error, while Svoboda scored on a ground ball to complete the five-run frame.

Freshman Allison Boles and senior Hailey Crowder also had RBI hits to add to the scoring for the Lady Cats.

The offense provided more than enough run support for Allyssa Griggs. The Louisburg senior pitched a complete game and gave up just one run on two hits and had four strikeouts.

“We played the most complete game of the season thus far in the first game,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “Our pitching, defense and hitting all came together at the same time. Allyssa was very efficient with her pitches and the defense turned in some nice plays. We finally were able to put together some timely hitting.”

That timely hitting came through again in the nightcap as the Lady Cats racked up seven extra base hits, some of which gave them a 3-0 lead in the first inning. They totaled 17 hits for the game.

Osawatomie battled back to take a 5-3 lead going into the fifth inning, when the Lady Cats grabbed the lead back with five runs in the fifth and three more in the seventh to seal the win.

Senior Emalee Overbay led the charge with a 3-for-5 performance with a pair of doubles to go along with 4 RBIs.

Louisburg first baseman Allyssa Griggs lunges forward to snag a line drive during the Lady Cats’ game against Baldwin on April 18.

Allyssa Griggs also finished the day with three hits, including a double, a home run and 2 RBIs. Karson Griggs added three hits herself and scored twice.

Crowder, Kennia Hankinson and Svoboda also had two hits each. Svoboda recorded a double and a triple, while Crowder and Hankinson each notched an RBI.

Allyssa Griggs came in for relief in the final five innings and picked up her second win of the night as she gave up just one earned run to go along with four strikeouts.

“In the second game, we scored early, but missed some golden opportunities to put the game out of reach early,” Ozier said. “Osawatomie is a young, but scrappy team that you just can’t let hang around in a game. We did just that. They actually had a 5-3 lead going into the fifth inning.

“I really challenged our hitters to put together some quality at bats, and they responded with five runs. Allyssa was running on empty, but dug deep to finish the game for a much-needed sweep.”

Louisburg will try and continue its winning ways tonight when it hosts De Soto for a doubleheader, before traveling to Garnett on Thursday for two games with Anderson County.

Lady Cats fall short in two losses to Baldwin

The Louisburg softball team hit the road on April 18 for a doubleheader with Baldwin, but the Lady Cats couldn’t come up with a win after pair of 6-4 and 7-2 losses.

In the opener, Louisburg scored three runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 advantage and took the lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. Baldwin though loaded the bases and scored three times in the final inning to secure the win.

Karson Griggs and Allison Boles each led the way with a pair of hits for the Lady Cats offense, while Allyssa and Karson Griggs each added a double and an RBI. Hailey Crowder also contributed an RBI.

“We came out in game one and really hit the ball hard,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “Unfortunately, many of the balls were hit right at the Baldwin defenders. It was frustrating to see the game slip away in their last at bat.”

Louisburg took a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning of the nightcap, before Baldwin scored two runs in the fourth off starter Kelsey Higginbotham. The Lady Cats tied it in the top of the fifth, but Baldwin added two more runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to pull away.

Boles had two hits to lead Louisburg in the second game, while Allyssa Griggs added a double and Emalee Overbay finished with the team’s lone RBI. Higginbotham pitched 4 1/3 innings and gave up four runs and had two strikeouts and Allyssa Griggs came to pitch the final 1 2/3.

“The second game was almost a repeat of game one,” Ozier said. “We took an early lead, but could not hold on at the end of the game. We will continue to battle hard each night.”