Kelly settles for fourth at state

~ The hawks committed five errors in a 2-0 semifinal loss

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- This year was supposed to be different for the Kelly softball team.

Going into the Class 2 final four the Hawks expected to finally break through their recent semifinal struggles and advance to that elusive title game.

But Kelly was unable to overcome early errors against South Callaway in a 2-0 semifinal loss and once again found itself leaving Springfield on Friday with a fourth-place finish.

"We were pretty pumped and thought we'd be in that championship game, so it's a little disappointing, of course, to know that we're not," Kelly coach Rhonda Ratledge said after the semifinal loss. "But we're still one of the final four teams and anybody in Missouri would trade places with us right now."

Kelly's start against South Callaway was reminiscent of last year's semifinal when a big start by Brookfield put the Hawks in a hole they couldn't crawl out of. This time around it was fielding troubles that doomed the Hawks. South Callaway scored an unearned run in each of the first two innings with the help of five Kelly errors and just one hit.

"That's exactly what we didn't want to happen, to come out here and give them the ball game," Ratledge said of the bad start. "We wanted to make sure they earned it. We did it again with two unearned runs right there."

Kelly outhit South Callaway 6-2 in the semifinal contest, but the lack of a big hit kept it off the scoreboard.

The Hawks had opportunities to knot things up in the second and sixth innings, but both times South Callaway pitcher Abby Bartley escaped the jam. She pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the top of the second before a leadoff double by Jade Rampley in the sixth brought the tying run to the plate.

Kelly’s Jade Rampley is tagged out at home by South Callaway’s Anna Bartley in a class 2 semifinal at Killian Sports Complex on Friday in Springfield.

Rampley was moved over to third base with one out, but on a bunt designed to bring her home the Bulldogs made the play at the plate for the second out.

"Once that happens that kind of takes the wind out of your sail a little bit because then you have two outs," Ratledge said.

Bartley went on to retire the final four Kelly hitters in order to send her team to the title game.

Kelly starter Alexis Dock took the loss. Dock pitched all six innings and gave up two hits and four walks without surrendering an earned run.

Kelly committed five errors while South Callaway was flawless in the field.

"We definitely weren't on our game," Dock said. "How we lost [the first game] is kind of tough, and you're just really upset about it because it's a game you should have won."

Returning to the field less than two hours later, the Hawks faced off against Marionville with a chance for their second consecutive third-place finish in the state tournament.

Unfortunately for Kelly, a late comeback attempt came up just short, and the Comets held on for a 4-3 win.

"It's kind of hard [coming back after a loss] because everybody's down and trying to boost spirits up," Rampley said. "But you have to do it, and if you don't it gets uglier.

"After losing that first game that we should of won, it's hard to come back from that and win the next one."

A three-run top of the first by Marionville once again had Kelly behind and an added run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 4-0. The Hawks found some life in the home half of the sixth after stranding eight runners up to that point.

McKynlee Neumeyer got things started with a single past third base and an error put another runner on. A walk to Rampley loaded the bases before a fielding error brought home Kelly's first run of the day.

Dock kept things going with a line drive to deep center field that plated two more runs to pull the Hawks back within a run at 4-3. Two runners were left on base when Marionville extinguished the fire with a pop up to the second baseman.

Down to their final shot, Kelly came up in the seventh and got a leadoff single from Stephanie Worth to put the tying run on first. Hope turned to heartbreak, however, when a pop up to the catcher resulted in Worth's pinch runner getting doubled off at first. A strikeout sealed the win for Marionville.

Kelly ended its season with a 19-9 record.

"We had to come back and battled," Ratledge said. "We've done it before in games where we had to come back. I just hated that they scored that one run in the [sixth]. Had they not done that it'd been 3-3 in extra-innings."

Hawks shortstop Rampley will be the only player to graduate this spring.

Rampley will leave the program after having made three trips to the final four in her four-year career with two fourth-place finishes and last year's third.

"It's frustrating, but being here is an honor anyway," Rampley said. "There's nothing to be angry about because you're still one of the top four teams in the state."

Semifinal

Kelly 000 000 0 -- 0 6 5

Callaway 110 000 x -- 2 2 0

WP -- Abby Bertley. LP -- Alexis Dock. 2B -- Jade Rampley. Multiple hits -- Kelly: Jade Rampley 2-3.

Third Place Game

Marionville 300 001 0 -- 4 11 2

Kelly 000 003 0 -- 3 10 3

WP -- Eden Henry. LP -- Alexis Dock. 3B -- Haley Lane (M). 2B -- Abbie Hopkins (M) Multiple hits -- Marionville: Bailie Stine 2-3, Tarron Finn 3-4, Lane 2-4, Emily Garoutte 2-2; Kelly: Dock 2-3, Savannah Ashley 2-4.