Lady Cats get first win over Paola in eight years

Louisburg sophomore Izzy Moreland got the complete game victory as she struck out seven Paola batters in a 7-4 win in the doubleheader opener Tuesday in Paola. The Lady Cats dropped the nightcap, 9-5.

PAOLA — It had been eight years since the last time the Louisburg softball team handed a loss to Paola.

Eight was more than long enough.

The Lady Cats ended their drought against the Panthers as they defeated Paola, 7-4, in the first game of the doubleheader Tuesday in Paola. Louisburg last defeated Paola in 2014, which came in the regional championship game.

Although Louisburg went on to fall in the nightcap, 9-5, it was a positive outing for the Lady Cats as they near the postseason.

“Beating your rival is always a nice feeling,” Louisburg coach Nick Chapman said. “I think it’s been awhile since Louisburg has beaten Paola. Our girls played really well in that first game. We had one rough inning of a couple errors and let Paola get back in it. We moved on from it and gave ourselves a nice cushion going into the bottom of the seventh.”

Louisburg broke open a scoreless game with a 3-run third inning thanks to a trio of freshmen.

Freshman Sabra Brueggen singled home freshman Addy Stohs, who reached on a dropped third strike. The next batter, freshman Mackenzie Rooney, doubled and just missed a home run, but scored sophomore Amaya Weilert.

Rooney later scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Mia Wilson. Louisburg would add a run in the fourth and fifth inning to take a 5-0 lead.

Paola cut the lead to one with a four-run fifth inning that was helped a lot by some Lady Cat errors.

Louisburg (7-11) were able to create some cushion in the seventh when it scored twice. A pair of sacrifices from Stohs and Weilert drove home two more runners to help seal the win.

Weilert had a big game for the Lady Cats as she finished with three hits, while Stohs had 2 RBIs in the victory.

“Our girls are hitting the ball really well right now and doing a lot of the little things well at the plate and on the bases to be successful,” Chapman said. “Our offensive game was very much needed early in that game which allowed us to play a little bit looser in the field. We got down a little bit after that rough inning, but then responded at the plate, worked through the adversity and got the job done. Definitely proud of how we played.”

The Lady Cats also got a strong pitching performance from Izzy Moreland. The Louisburg sophomore pitched a complete game and allowed no earned runs and also struck out seven.

It was the starting performance the Lady Cats were hoping for as they were able to get another notch in the win column.

“Izzy was huge on the mound,” Chapman said. “She had innings of complete dominance. She had a couple innings that she had to work out of some tough spots with runners in scoring position. Our defense had her back most of the game and it was awesome to see.”

Errors haunted the Lady Cats in the second game as Paola (5-14) jumped out to a 9-0 lead after two innings — with only one of those runs being earned. Louisburg clawed its way back with three runs in the third and two in the sixth, but could get no closer.

Rooney had a big day at the plate for the Wildcats with four hits and scored two runs. Senior Mia Wilson had three hits and an RBI, while sophomores Ashley Moreau and Megan Quinn each had two hits and an RBI.

Louisburg will conclude its regular season today when it hosts Piper in a Frontier League matchup at Lewis-Young Park.

Louisburg falls to Eudora on Senior Night

In what was a one-game match-up against one of the top teams in Class 4A, Louisburg couldn’t get any traction against Eudora.

The Lady Cats fell to the Cardinals, 13-0, on May 3 at Lewis-Young Park. Eudora senior pitcher Kira Baker shut down the Lady Cat offense to just one hit and struck out 12.

Despite the loss, the Lady Cats had a chance to honor two members of the team prior to its Senior Night contest. Senior Mia Wilson and manager Samantha Hickey were recognized with their parents prior to the game.

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