Leopold softball shakes off rust, reaches district championship game

OAK RIDGE -- For a team that hadn't played a game in more than a week, the Leopold softball team looked ready.

As in district-championship ready -- which is what the Wildcats will play for today.

Leopold scored in every inning, including four times in the bottom of the first to take a lead they would never relinquish, in trouncing Meadow Heights 13-2 in a Class 1 District 6 softball semifinal Thursday at Oak Ridge High School.

The Wildcats (10-2) will face Woodland, 20-10 winners over Oak Ridge, in today's district championship final at 4 p.m.

"We haven't played a game in over a week now," Leopold coach Keenan Kinder said. "I think we were a little rusty. That's what I told the girls after the first inning. I said, 'Girls, we gotta knock the rust off. We gotta get started.' And they did a great job. I'm proud of every one of them."

After spotting Meadow Heights a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Leopold came storming back in their half of the inning. The first four Wildcat batters reached base, chasing Meadow Heights starter Ashlee Long from the circle after a bases-loaded walk to Ashlyn Bucher knotted the score at 1-1. Reliever Paige Miller walked Brittany Garland to force in another run, and two more runs scored on an infield error to put the Wildcats up 4-1.

From there, Leopold pitcher Lexi Vandeven assumed control, allowing just one run the rest of the way. She finished with a three-hitter, walking six and striking out six.

"I was definitely trying to work the corners and keep the ball down," Vandeven said. "Sometimes there were issues with the hand control. I think I got it back. I'm going to try to improve and come back [today] and do better."

And as Vandeven cruised, so did the Wildcats' offense, scoring once more in the second before plating three runs in the third and five in the fourth.

"We took advantage of good hits," Kinder said. "The offense backed up the defense, and the defense backed up the offense."

Leopold took advantage of some shoddy defense from Meadow Heights in the third, coupling three hits and a walk with two infield errors to score three times.

In the fourth, Leah Landewee stroked a two-run single to center, scoring Klara Beel and Emily Seiler, and Denai Arnzen added a two-run double to left later in the inning that pushed the lead to 13-2.

Landewee, the Wildcats' leadoff hitter, finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and scored three times.

"I like getting leads," Landewee said. "It's a lot calmer, not so much stress. And I like having a good time, too. That's fun."

Landewee said it was a bit of an adjustment after Meadow Heights coach Kristi Hays pulled Long for Miller, who was more accurate but definitely slower from the circle.

"It throws you off, to be honest," Landewee said. "You really got to watch her. You got to wait. You can scoot up a little bit in the box, that helps."

Hays admitted her squad had a bit of a "hard day."

"We had trouble with pitching in the beginning," she noted after Long, her starter, gave up a leadoff single to Landewee before walking the next three batters and prompting Hays to make a change. "And our fielding, we had quite a few errors today."

Despite ending the season 1-11, Hays liked what she saw from her young squad that had just two seniors on the roster.

"We had four freshmen starting today," Hays said. "We were very young. We'll only be better next year."

Meadow Hts . 101 00 -- 2 3 4

Leopold 413 5x -- 13 10 0

WP -- Lexi Vandeven. LP -- Ashlee Long. 2B -- Mills (MH), Denai Arnzen (L). Multiple hits -- Meadow Heights: Mills 2-3. Leopold: Leah Landewee 3-4, Arnzen 2-3, Emily Seiler 2-3. Records: Meadow Heights 1-11, Leopold 10-2.