East Prairie beats No. 5 Holcomb on Senior Night

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — It was a day filled with emotion and energy as the East Prairie seniors took center stage, determined to leave their mark on the softball diamond.

The Lady Eagles (14-7) did just that, delivering a smashing performance on Senior Night and stunning Class 1, No. 5 Holcomb (20-6) with an 11-8 final score on Monday, May 1.

“When everything is working, this team can play with any other team in the area,” said East Prairie coach Jade Marcum. “It's just a matter of trusting their talents and executing. We feel very confident rolling into district play this weekend and as coaches, we couldn't be more proud of these girls and how they are performing.”

With each pitch, hit and catch, East Prairie showcased its skills and heart, refusing to back down against one of the top teams in the area.

Kennedy Cogdill earned the win on the mound. She pitched all seven innings and allowed five earned runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.

“[Cogdill] pitched an amazing game,” Marcum said. “We had some hiccups on defense but our girls made up for it with runs.”

The Lady Eagles' top performer at the plate was Katie Brewer. She finished 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs.

“It was just a matter of time before Brewer hit one out,” Marcum said. “We've seen her hit tons of balls over the fences for years and today she hits a no-doubter to center. We rode high off the excitement and were able to close out the game with Cogdill's pitching and an amazing diving play up the middle by Tori Stinnett to end the game for good. Senior Night was a success.”

East Prairie will travel to South Pemiscot (10-6) on Tuesday, May 2, and host Scott City (14-7) on Wednesday, May 3.

The Lady Eagles received the No. 5 seed in the MSHSAA Class 2, District 1 Tournament a

Portageville High School. The team will face fourth-seeded Malden (12-10) on Saturday, May 6.

__EAST PRAIRIE 11, HOLCOMB 8__

Holcomb 101 130 2 — 8 8 5

EP 300 440 x — 11 8 4

W—Kennedy Cogdill. L—Jaden Bowen. 2B—Holcomb: Chloe Hendrix, Ella Lemings, Maleigh Lemings; East Prairie: Cogdill. HR—East Prairie: Katie Brewer.