Malden softball team upends Scott City in Class 1 sectional

A little early pressure went a long way for the Malden softball team Monday.

Junior starting pitcher Katie Goodman was solid in her complete-game performance, and the Green Wave combined for 11 hits in a 12-5 win over host Scott City in a Class 1 sectional.

Malden (19-5) broke the game open in the top of the second inning with five runs on three hits and an error.

Scott City third baseman Britne Parker applies the tag to Malden base runner Lexi Campbell, who was advancing on a wild pitch during the sixth inning. Campbell was ruled safe on the play.

"We just got on a roll," Green Wave coach Angela Rodgers said. "We just didn't stop. That's kind of what we do. We get on and stay on."

Desiree Perkins had a one-out infield single before Anna Belcher reached on a walk. Perkins scored when leadoff hitter Lexi Campbell reached on an error, and Belcher rounded home on an RBI single by Gracie Thomas, who finished with a game-high three hits. Campbell scored on a passed ball before No. 4 hitter Blake Tinsley followed with a two-run single up the middle to give Malden a 6-1 advantage.

Scott City (20-3) committed six errors in the game, but coach Lance Amick was sure to give credit where it was due.

"It's easy to think about what you did wrong and everything, but first and foremost, you've got to think about what Malden did right," Amick said. "They came in and did a lot of good things. They had some really good at-bats, played some good defense when they needed to, and their pitcher gave them a chance, threw a lot of strikes.

"I don't think today is about as much what we did wrong as much as it was about a lot of the things they did right."

The Green Wave scored an unusual run to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Campbell led off with a single before a wild pitch and a passed ball allowed her to move to third. No. 3 hitter Lana Reed beat out the throw for an infield single, but Campbell was tagged at home for the second out of the inning. Thinking they had turned a double play, the Rams began leaving the field while Reed continued running the bases. She reached home before Scott City was able to recover.

Valerie Bahr tied the game for the Rams with a solo home run over the fence in right-center to lead off the bottom of the inning.

Goodman didn't allow another hit until the bottom of the sixth. She allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

"If she's hitting her spots, then she's doing great, and that's why we have our defense, to back her up when she's not hitting her spots. So that's where we all come in together," Rodgers said. "We don't rely on one person. We've got to all work together and get the job done, and that's what we did today."

Light rain turned into a steady shower over the final two innings, during which both teams combined for 10 runs.

A one-out error allowed Malden to tack on two runs for an 8-1 lead in the top of the sixth, but Scott City answered in the home half of the inning.

Kaileigh Dirden led off with a single and advanced to second when the ball was misplayed in right. Jamie Glastetter, Tori Buckner and Courtney Enderle each followed with an RBI double to cut the Rams' deficit in half, 8-4.

Scott City coach Lance Amick talks with his players after Malden scored two runs during the top of the sixth inning to extend its lead to 8-1 in a Class 1 sectional game Monday in Scott City. Malden won 12-5.Fred Lynch

"When things are going as bad as they were at some points today, that's when true character's revealed," Amick said. "You find out if you're a fighter, somebody who's tough. ... Sometimes it stinks to find that out because it's a bad situation, but it shows a lot about some of the girls we have on this team. This means a lot to them, and it just stinks it had to end today."

Malden extended its lead in the top of the seventh with a one-out single by Thomas before the next batter, Reed, delivered the final blow. The sophomore catcher blasted a towering three-run homer over the center-field fence, extending the Green Wave's lead to 12-4 and giving Goodman plenty of insurance to secure the final three outs.

"She's come up with, over the past couple games, some big home runs," Rodgers said about Reed. "We're very proud of her. That was a really good at-bat."

Reed reached base in all five of her plate appearances, scoring a game-high four runs. She finished with two hits, along with Campbell (2-for-5).

"We just wanted to make contact," Rodgers said. "We weren't trying to kill the ball. We've been trying to do that all year. There have been a lot of girls that have been trying to kill it and see how far they can hit it, and we just worked on making sure we make contact and getting on base."

Dirden threw a complete game and was tagged with the loss. She gave up 12 runs (eight earned) on 11 hits with nine strikeouts and five walks.

The 12 runs allowed were the most the Rams allowed all year -- their previous season-high was six in last week's district championship win over Oran.

"The bottom line is we weren't prepared to play, and that's my job," Amick said. "You can't point your fingers farther than yourself. I didn't have the girls ready to go today. That's something we'll try to evaluate as a coaching staff and figure out what we can do better next year."

Scott City catcher Bella Bowers tags out Malden's Alexis Campbell at the plate during the first inning of a Class 1 sectional Monday, May 9, 2016 in Scott City.Fred Lynch

Buckner, who added an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, and Glastetter each finished with a pair of hits to lead Scott City at the plate.

Malden moves on to face two-time defending state champion Kennett in a state quarterfinal Thursday. The Indians have won two of three meetings against the Green Wave this season -- Malden won the final meeting in a 10-5 decision at the Bootheel Conference Tournament.

"There were a couple games this year where we let the other team get in our head, and we just really worked on that and making sure we stay up," Rodgers said. "We made a few mistakes, but we moved past them and recovered. It paid off."

The Rams graduate three seniors -- Bahr, Bella Bowers and Paige McNeely -- from this year's team, and Amick said they'll be hard to replace next season.

"They're just tough kids. They bring it every day," Amick said. "When they're at school, they compete in the classroom. They compete on the field. They compete in the weight room. ... They're going to be successful people in this world. You're talking about three girls who are graduating in the top six in their class -- Bella, the valedictorian. Paige got a 33 on her ACT. You just can't say enough about people like that."

Scott City returns seven starters next year, including Dirden, who set a single-season state record with 16 home runs this spring.

It's been a great year. ... Not all is to sit and cry about, but in the end, this is not the result we wanted today. So that's always a double-edged sword there," Amick said. "You don't like where you're at, but I think in a week or so, we'll sit back and think about some of the things we did well.

"There's probably a light at the end of the tunnel. We do have a bright future with some of these girls. It'll depend on how bad they want to get back here and if this motivates them."

Malden 150 002 4 -- 12 11 4

Scott City 100 003 1 -- 5 7 6

WP -- Katie Goodman. LP -- Kaileigh Dirden. 2B -- Lexi Campbell (M), Jamie Glastetter (SC), Tori Buckner (SC). HR -- Lana Reed (M), Valerie Bahr (SC). Multiple hits -- Malden: Gracie Thomas 3-5, Reed 2-3, Campbell 2-5; Scott City: Glastetter 2-3, Buckner 2-4.