Paola spoils season opener for Lady Cats

Louisburg shortstop Alyse Moore makes a throw to third base to try and catch a Paola runner Thursday during the Lady Cats’ season opener in Paola. The Lady Cats fell in both games of the doubleheader, 15-0.

If it wasn’t bad enough that the Louisburg softball team had to move their home opener to Paola on Thursday, the Lady Cats had to deal with the cold, wind and rain on top of it.

Mother Nature sort of set the mood for how the Lady Cats’ day was going to go.

Paola, one of the best teams in the Frontier League, spoiled Louisburg’s season opener as the Lady Cats fell in a pair of 15-0 losses.

“It was obviously not the way we wanted to start the season,” Louisburg coach John Ozier said. “We ran into a buzzsaw against Paola. Their pitching and hitting really kept us quiet all night. We knew this was going to be a tough game for us, so we walked away with the positives that we could build upon, and resolved to get better in some weaker areas.

“With all of our injuries and health issues we have been plagued with, we are taking on the ‘next girl up’ mentality.”

Louisburg had a tough time getting to Paola starter Jordan Johnson, who pitched both games for the Panthers. Johnson recorded a combined 23 strikeouts in the two contests.

Johnson shutout the Lady Cats in just three innings in the first game, thanks to her offense as Paola scored six runs in the second and eight in the third.

Louisburg got a good performance from starter Kelsey Higginbotham in the nightcap as she gave up four earned runs in six innings and struck out seven. Paola exploded for eight runs in the seventh inning to put the game away.

The Lady Cats will try and get back on track Thursday when they travel to Prairie View for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.