Scott City softball team falls to Kennett in Class 1 quarterfinal

KENNETT, Mo. -- After tying the game at 1-1 in the top of the fifth inning, Scott City had the defending Class 1 softball state champions right where it wanted them.

However, it didn't take long for Kennett to respond.

The Indians erupted for five runs in the bottom of the inning and added three more in the sixth to come away with a 9-1 victory in a state quarterfinal Thursday at Indian Park.

"That's why they're the defending state champs, and that's why they have the record they do this year," Scott City coach Lance Amick said about Kennett, which improved to 19-7 with the win. "They're good. That's just the bottom line."

The Indians will face Crest Ridge in the opening game of the final four at 5 p.m. May 22 at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Scott City players break from a huddle between innings against Kennett in a Class 1 quarterfinal Thursday, May 14, 2015 in Kennett, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

"What an accomplishment for these girls, all the hard work they've put in is a testament of things that happen," Kennett coach Kevin McCaig said. "It's easy to coach good talent. It's all the hard work that they put in, not much what we do."

Kennett broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth when Hannah Criswell reached second on an error in center field and advanced to third on a passed ball. The next batter, Jacky Lockhert, grounded out but scored Criswell to give the Indians a 1-0 advantage.

The Rams quickly answered in the top of the fifth when Tori Buckner led off the inning with a double to left field before stealing third. Kristen Kirker reached on a one-out walk and stole second before the next batter, Skylar Rhymer, grounded into a 6-5 putout but plated Buckner to even the score at 1-1.

The lone run was all Scott City (18-7) was able to muster against Kennett pitcher Madi Parr, who pitched a complete game and allowed only three hits. She finished with 13 strikeouts and four walks.

"She was lights out today," Amick said about Parr. "She was a completely different pitcher than what we saw the fourth game of the year. Her control was really good the first four or five innings, working the ball up and down, in and out and working that changeup in for a strike. She's a competitor. You can just tell watching her on the mound. Her demeanor and her body language, she's a competitor."

Scott City's Valerie Bahr, center is met by her teammates Liz Hensley and Skylar Rhymer after making a double play in the third inning against Kennett during a Class 1 quarterfinal Thursday, May 14, 2015 in Kennett, Missouri. (Glenn Landberg)

McCaig referred to his freshman hurler as a "bulldog" in the circle.

"She doesn't intimidate you necessarily with her stature, but she's going to go at you. And she's going to make you have to make contact. So far, so good for her this year," McCaig said. "She's getting confidence every time she goes out there, and there's only good things to come from her."

The Indians broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth when Logan Vaughan plated a pair of runs on a two-out single up the middle. Criswell reached on a walk, and Lockhert scored Vaughan and Criswell with a double to center field. Sydney Patton pushed Kennett's lead to 6-1 with an RBI single before the Rams secured the final out of the inning.

"We held them down for a few innings, made some good defensive plays and executed. Before you know it, Vaughan has a big hit there. ... That's why she's an all-state player. She's the best player we've seen in two years, bar none. It's because of things like that," Amick said. "Big-time players make big plays in big situations, and I can't think of a bigger one up until this point of the year.

"Obviously she's going to have bigger games coming up, but what an at-bat and what a player."

The Indians added some insurance in the sixth when Kenna Hounihan scored Meagan Pickens on a triple to left field. Two batters later, leadoff hitter Anna Wheeler took advantage of an aggressive defensive shift and lifted a ball to the right corner of the field. The speedy Wheeler quickly rounded the bases and leaped onto home plate for a two-run inside-the-park home run, pushing Kennett's lead to 9-1.

A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out, but Rams starting pitcher Jamie Glastetter got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning and stave off the 10-run rule.

Amick was pleased with how his sophomore pitcher finished the inning to give the team a final chance at the plate.

"We found a way to get another at-bat in the seventh. For a lot of people, that'll go unnoticed, but those two runs that they didn't score mean a lot to me," Amick said. "It showed a lot of resolve with the pitcher. She's just a sophomore. She's got a lot to learn, and coming from a girl who never pitched at all last year -- one varsity start coming into this year -- the progress she's made from start to finish is unbelievable.

"That inning right there showed a lot about her, just to keep getting the ball and pitching it, wanting to bat again, giving yourself another chance. That, to me, defined the competition I was looking for."

Glastetter struck out six batters, walked five and gave up 10 hits and nine runs -- seven earned -- in six innings of work.

"Scott City's a really good team. They didn't go to the final four for no reason last year," McCaig said. "Even though Jamie wasn't in the circle for them last year, she's got a lot of experience, and she's pitched a lot of innings. She's a good pitcher."

The Rams had a double play in the second inning and one in the third, but two outfield errors allowed the Indians to get the leadoff runner aboard in the fourth and fifth.

"We can't give good teams like them extra outs. That's just how it is, and one through nine, they swing the bats better than any team you'll see all year long," Amick said. "They make you pay."

Wheeler and Vaughan each finished 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs, while Lockhert was 1 for 2 with three RBIs.

McCaig said his players plan on enjoying the moment of returning to the state semifinals for a second consecutive season but said he expects them to be ready to focus on the next game, which will be a rematch of last year's state championship.

"This time of year, you're going to see somebody good at the final four," McCaig said. "... We're going to have to go and execute a gameplan. We're going to work hard for the next six days to put one together, and hopefully the girls can execute it again."

Scott City returned only four starters from last year's team and was forced to battle through the loss of all-state shortstop Lyndsie Robert.

Amick credited his players' resilience to what they were able to accomplish this season.

"A lot of teams coming in would have checked it in before the season ever started with all that kind of working against you, but we had so many girls just accept a new role and compete all year long," Amick said. "By the end of the year, we had a pretty dang good team.

"... High school sports are some of the best times you'll ever have, and hopefully they're looking around and seeing some of the bridesmaids in their weddings and matrons of honor because those are the things that'll last with you after the balls are put up and the bats are away. When you walk away from home, hopefully the journey has been worthwhile and you've smiled and have laughed and cried and have made memories because that's what sports are about. They're not a life or death deal. We'll all pick up our stuff and move forward with humility."

Scott City 000 010 0 -- 1 3 2

Kennett 000 153 x -- 9 10 0

WP -- Madi Parr. LP -- Jamie Glastetter. 2B -- Tori Buckner (SC), Jacky Lockhert (K). 3B -- Kenna Hounihan (K). HR -- Anna Wheeler (K). Multiple hits -- Kennett: Wheeler 2-4, Logan Vaughan 2-4.