MOUND CITY — After outscoring their first six opponents by a combined 103-6 points, Yates Center High’s softball team faced its toughest test of the season to date Tuesday.
The Wildcats traveled to undefeated Jayhawk-Linn for a pair of back-and-forth affairs, winning the opener, 16-11, but falling short in the nightcap, 9-6.
“I was super proud of our girls,” Wildcat head coach Abbie Collins said. “Jayhawk-Linn is a really good team. We battled all night and came away with a split. We hit the ball really well.”
Yates Center took control early in the opener before withstanding a furious Jayhawk rally.
The Wildcats led 11-0 and 12-1.
Molly Proper started things off with a solo home run. She and Hannah Jones both doubled before Morgan Collins smacked a two-run home run as part of a nine-run second inning.
But three Wildcat errors and a dropped third strike were enough to spark the Jayhawk comeback in the third. By the end of the game, the Wildcats’ lead was down to 12-8.
Alle Chrisman and Addie Solander had RBI singles to make it 14-8 after six.
Collins went 5-for-5 with three singles, a double and a home run, while driving in three. Proper had a single, double and home run with three RBIs. Collins also earned the win, striking out eight and giving up eight hits and three earned runs.
Solander chipped in with three singles and three RBIs, Grace Westerman had two doubles and a single, Callyn Miller two singles and a double and Avery Eakin two singles and two RBIs. Emma Grogg singled twice as well.
IT WAS the Jayhawks’ turn to start out quickly in the nightcap, scoring three times in the first and once in the second inning to lead 4-0.
Collins and Chrisman smacked RBI doubles for Yates Center to pare the deficit to 4-2 in the third, but the Jayhawks responded with two in the bottom of the inning and two more in the fourth inning to lead 8-2.
Collins singled and scored on a sacrifice fly for Yates Center’s third run in the sixth. Miller tripled, Grogg singled and Eakin reached on an error to make it interesting at 8-5.
Jones and Collins singled, but Collins was gunned down trying to reach second base in the seventh. Solander followed with an RBI single to make it 8-6, but the Jayhawks recorded the third out to seal the victory.
Collins continued her offensive onslaught with two more singles and a double with an RBI. Jones and Miller singled twice, while Chrisman had a double and two RBIs. Solander and Grogg both had a single with one RBI. Eakin doubled.
Proper pitched and struck out two, while allowing 13 hits.
