MORAN — A late rally kept Marmaton Valley High’s softball squad on the winning path Thursday in their first game against Yates Center. Marmaton Valley scored two in the sixth and three in the seventh before throwing out a runner at the plate to end the 5-3 victory.
Yates Center dispensed with any such drama in the nightcap, scoring six runs in the first inning of an 18-7 romp.
The split puts Marmaton Valley’s record at 5-1 on the season. Yates Center stands at 4-4.
Yates Center took the early lead in the opener, when Emma Chrisman drove in Jordan Weseloh with RBI single.
Emily Proper, meanwhile, kept Marmaton Valley off the scoreboard until Makayla Brooks tripled and scored on a wild pitch. Magie Stevenson followed with a walk. She eventually made her way around the bases and scored the lead run on a steal of home.
The fun was just beginning. Chrisman singled to start the sixth and scored on Allie Pringle’s RBI single. Pringle then scored on Katelynn Jones’ hit to give Yates Center a 3-2 advantage.
Shailee Woods singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Paige Becker followed with a line drive to the wall. By the time the Yates Center outfielders corralled the ball, Becker had circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run and a 4-3 lead. Stevenson doubled and scored on an error for the insurance run.
Karlie Stephens allowed a pair of hits in the top of the seventh with two out, including Pringle’s double that run runners on second and third. But Chrisman was gunned down on the plate following a wild pitch. Stephens applied the tag to end the game.
Stephens struck out seven, while allowing seven hits to get the complete-game win. She also had a key single in the sixth. Becker added a single to her two-run home run. Kyla Drake singled twice; Woods had a double.
Chrisman had three hits, including a triple. Pringle singled twice. Jones and Weseloh also had singles. Proper was the tough-luck loser, surrendering five hits and two walks. She struck out six.
“I was happy with our defense in the first game,” Marmaton Valley head coach Kaylan Colgin said. “We didn’t do nearly as well in the second.”
YATES CENTER scored six in the first, five in the fourth and sixth in the fifth to cruise to the game 2 victory. Every Yates Center batter had at least one hit.
Chrisman a single and home run. Proper followed with two singles and a double. Jessica Rossillon had three singles. Melanie Robbins, Weseloh, Ashley Pringle and Allie Pringle had two singles each. Halie Smith also had a single.
Proper gave up four hits with three strikeouts and three walks to record the victory.
Isabelle Bigelow, Ashlynn Pinkerton, Makayla Brooks and Gutierrez had hits for Marmaton Valley.
