Kelly softball team overwhelms Portageville with bunts

BENTON, Mo. -- Heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, Kelly's softball team still was searching for its first hit of the game.

A pitching duel highlighted the first 3 1/2 innings as both teams remained scoreless, but the Hawks stayed the course. Kelly coach Rhonda Ratledge told her team to continue to bunt, a decision that eventually reaped positive results.

Five successful bunts scored three runs in the fourth as the Hawks came away with a 5-2 victory over the Portageville Bulldogs on Thursday at Kelly High School.

"You've just got to be able to see that pitch in softball. You've got to be able to hit, slap and bunt," Ratledge said. "When you've got girls on, you've got to be able to move them and rely on all three things.

"We were able to put down some bunts and get some base runners on to make some things happen, and that's the whole game of softball. You've just got to get them on and move them around."

The two teams met earlier this season as Kelly (12-3) won an eight-inning, 1-0 decision in the Notre Dame SoftballFest championship game. They also squared off in the semifinals of last season's Class 2 District 1 tournament, when the Hawks edged Portageville 3-0 and went on to claim the district title.

Ratledge said Thursday's game had the feeling of a postseason meeting.

Kelly’s Alexis Dock pitches to a Portageville batter during the second inning Thursday in Benton, Missouri. Dock struck out nine batters in the Hawks’ 5-2 victory. (GLENN LANDBERG)

"They're one of the better teams in Southeast Missouri, and it feels good to come out and put those five runs on the board. There was no slacking from Portageville. It was the same thing with the Notre Dame tournament. They came to play," Ratledge said. "You can't take anything away from them. They're going to come out and put that ball into play and make you earn it, so that's what makes a good ball game."

Despite suffering the loss in the circle for Portageville (9-4), Taylor Tiffany retired the first nine batters she faced. Tiffany scattered five hits and had eight strikeouts and no walks in six innings of work.

Sydney Kern led off the bottom of the fourth inning for Kelly and broke up Tiffany's no-hitter by beating the throw to first on a well-placed bunt along the third-base line.

Two batters later, Samantha Ratledge reached base on a bunt with one out as Kern advanced to third, drawing a throw that allowed Ratledge to move to second. Alexis Dock followed with a bunt of her own, and Kern beat the throw home to give the Hawks a 1-0 advantage.

A wild pitch allowed Ratledge to score before Kristi Brucker added an RBI on the fourth bunt of the inning, pushing Kelly's lead to 3-0.

Meanwhile, the Hawks' defense rallied behind Dock in the circle. After giving up two hits and a walk in the first two innings, Dock retired 12 of the next 13 batters she faced as Kelly carried its shutout into the seventh inning.

Kelly’s Samantha Ratledge bunts for a single against Portageville during the fourth inning.

Dock pitched a complete game, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out nine.

"Each is a little different and has their pitches that they rely on," Rhonda Ratledge said about the two pitchers. "You've got to have a good defense behind you, which we feel we have an outstanding defense. Our girls have good range, make good throws and can make those plays behind our pitcher. That also helps with the confidence in your pitcher, when you know you've got good girls behind you. Our defense was very tight, so that was a plus on our end."

The Hawks added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth, when Morgan Ledure led off with a single along the left-field line. Ledure stole second and reached home two batters later on a one-out bunt by Dock, who was replaced at first by pinch-runner Alyssa Moore.

With two outs, Shanda Reed delivered Kelly's loudest hit of the game. The senior blasted a 1-2 pitch over the center fielder's head for an RBI triple.

"She did an outstanding job with that triple to knock in an RBI, so that's a confidence booster for her as well," Rhonda Ratledge said. "These girls came out ready. We've been working hard."

Kelly’s Sydney Kern slides safely into home plate during the fourth inning. Kern scored on a bunt by Alexis Dock, the first of three runs in the inning.

Reed, who transferred from Central, said she was waiting for the right pitch.

"She's a really strong pitcher, so she got me with a rise ball the first time," Reed said about Tiffany. "But after that, I kind of just stayed low and drove it."

The Hawks stumbled in the seventh as Dock struck out the first batter but walked the next two. Jill Kellams followed with an RBI double into center field, cutting Kelly's lead to 5-1. Destiney Crossno scored Savannah Lovins on a sacrifice fly, but Dock struck out the final batter to end the game.

"It was nice to have that five-run lead," Rhonda Ratledge said. "It does make you a little nervous. You know you're throwing a shutout coming into that seventh inning, and you know they're going to be swinging. They have absolutely nothing to lose at that point but to come out and swing."

The Hawks return to action Saturday in the Jackson Invitational Tournament.

"The girls have been playing all summer. We watched them play and saw how tight the defense was. We knew we had a good defense, and it's just a matter of trying to put it all together, your defense, pitching and hitting," Rhonda Ratledge said. "They've got all three components, and hopefully all three components come together consistently in every game."

Portageville 000 000 2 -- 2 4 0

Kelly 000 302 x -- 5 5 0

WP -- Alexis Dock. LP -- Taylor Tiffany. 3B -- Shanda Reed (K). 2B -- Jill Kellams (P). Multiple hitters -- Portageville: Kellams 2-3; Kelly: None.