East Prairie softball ends long drought against Oran with a thrilling 9-6 victory

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. — It was a combination of timely hitting, strong pitching and solid defense that lifted the East Prairie softball team to a 9-6 win over Oran on Thursday, April 6.

The win not only represents a significant moment for East Prairie (2-4), but also sets the stage for a potential shift in the balance of power within the Scott-Mississippi Conference.

“It was a great win for us,” said East Prairie coach Jade Marcum. “It shows that we've grown as a program and hard work is paying off. There was no doubt that we could win, this team is very talented. The last three games lost were on our defensive errors, and we knew that once they played to their true ability that good things would happen for them.”

East Prairie's Addisyn Aters throws a pitch during a 9-6 win over Oran at H.A Jones Park in East Prairie on Thursday, April 6. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

Molly Spane doubled to score Bralynn Morgan and gave Oran (7-2) an early 1-0 lead in the first inning.

East Prairie responded in the bottom of the inning with a couple of runs by Addisyn Aters and Kennedy Cogdill. Both players reached home plate on an error.

Ava Forehand scored on an error in the second inning to tie it 2-2, and Kendall Burger put Oran ahead 3-2 in the third inning with a line-drive single that score Dalaini Bryant.

Oran's Molly Spane makes a throw to first base during a 9-6 loss at H.A Jones Park in East Prairie on Thursday, April 6. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

Taylor Hobbs and Spane scored to extend the lead to 5-2 after Caroline Brashears hit a single to center field, and Burger added one more run on an error later in the inning.

Sydney Adcock scored on a passed ball in the fourth inning to narrow the lead to 6-3, but East Prairie was able to do some major damage in the fifth inning, scoring six runs to take a 9-6 advantage.

Those runs came when Riley Wilson and Kennedy Cogdill scored on errors; Tori Stinnett hit a two-run home run; Miller tripled to score Aters; and Miller scored on a single by Chloe Jackson.

East Prairie coach Jade Marcum congrats Alison Miller after a triple at H.A Jones Park in East Prairie on Thursday, April 6. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

“The best thing about yesterday was that our girls never gave up the fight,” Marcum said. “They battled back and took the win they deserved. They also limited defensive errors to about three which is better than our previous outings. Although we left bases loaded at least twice, they were able to score when it counted most and I couldn't be more proud of their effort as an entire team.

“Stinnett's homer was a huge boost to our offense and came at the perfect time,” she continued. “We know when she steps to the plate that the ball is going to be hit hard somewhere. She got a great swing on it and drove it out to left center scoring [Katie] Brewer and put us back on top. Two more runs scored after that so it was a catalyst in the win for sure.”

Aters earned the win after throwing four innings and not allowing any runs on two hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

Oran's Ava Forehand leads off second base during a 9-6 loss to East Prairie at H.A Jones Park in East Prairie on Thursday, April 6. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

Wilson started the game and pitched the first three innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks.”

Wilson and Aters performed great in the circle today,” Marcum concluded. “Our pitching is something that has come a long way in previous years and I'm excited to see how far these two go. Today's win should give them a confidence boost as well going forward this season.”

Spane took the loss after five innings. She gave up two earned runs on three hits with six strikeouts and nine walked batters. Lily Knotts threw the final inning and didn’t give up any earned runs on four hits.

East Prairie's Tori Stinnett takes a swing during a 9-6 win over Oran at H.A Jones Park in East Prairie on Thursday, April 6. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

“We had a pretty ugly game,” said Oran coach Jim Eftink. “It was just one of those days where nothing went right. Gotta give East Prairie a lot of credit. They worked hard after being down. They were selective at the plate, they hit the ball hard and they didn’t give up.”

East Prairie travels to New Madrid County Central (1-6) on Tuesday, April 11, and to Charleston on Thursday, April 13.

Oran hosts Malden (7-3) on Tuesday, April 11, and travels to Gideon (1-2) on Wednesday, April 12.

__ORAN 9, EAST PRAIRIE 6__

Oran 114 000 0 — 6 9 7

EP 200 160 x — 9 6 4

W—Addisyn Aters. L—Molly Spane. 2B—Oran: Molly Spane. 3B—East Prairie: Alison Miller. HR—East Prairie: Tori Stinnett.