East Prairie’s dream season gets caught in a double play

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. — The East Prairie softball team’s dream season came to an abrupt end at Adams Park on Saturday, May 6.

The Lady Eagles (16-8) fell 11-1 to Malden (16-10) in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 2, District 1 Tournament.

“We knew going into this season that we had a lot of the ‘missing puzzle pieces’ finally into place and would be a force to reckon with,” said East Prairie coach Jade Marcum. “At the beginning of the season, we were still working out kinks, but they came together and started trusting themselves as the season went on and showed their true capabilities.

“Unfortunately, in district play the team reverted to making multiple defensive errors which was an issue for us early on in the season,” she continued. “I feel that if we had those under control the outcome could have been different. Not taking anything from Malden because they came to play and hit the ball well. The day just wasn’t ours. We lacked sound defense and our offense wasn’t where it needed to be. I’m not sure if it was about defensive errors or nerves or what, but in the end, we didn’t play that game to the best of our abilities and a good Malden team took the victory.”

The team reach several milestones and exceeded all expectations, setting a new standard for East Prairie softball.

With the record-breaking season wrapped up and a culture of hard work and determination in place, the Lady Eagles are poised to continue their ascent in the years to come.

“It is our goal each year to be better than the year before, Marcum said. “We tell our girls not to compare themselves to others and strive to be a better player than the one you were yesterday.

“We hope that this season’s success shows our current players what is possible with hard work and that they continue to set the tone for upcoming players,” she continued. “It’s about creating a culture and we are headed in the right direction in EP.”

The Lady Eagles tied the school record for wins this season.

“A lot of this season’s success boils down to the work that was put in for years by our upperclassmen,” Marcum concluded. “They came in with a goal and pushed hard to achieve it. It’s been pretty incredible to see their drive and watch their hard work pay off.”

__MALDEN 11, EAST PRAIRIE 1, F/5__

EP 100 00x x — 1 5 7

Malden 320 42x x — 11 11 1

W—Alyssa Broom. L—Riley Wilson. 2B—East Prairie: Alison Miller, Kennedy Cogdil; Malden: Mariah Loya (2), Kinley Buchanan, Broom, Brydon Maddox. HR—Malden: Rachel Rommel.