TRC loses big lead, drops Region 16 tourney opener

TRENTON, Mo. — The Three Rivers College softball team took a six-run lead to the final two innings of its Region 16 Tournament game Thursday against the North Central Missouri College Pirates and seemed to most to have the game well in hand.

So the Lady Raiders won, right?

Wrong.

The Pirates rallied for six runs to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning, then scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh to take an 8-7 win at Griffin Field and knock Three Rivers into the tournament’s loser’s bracket — making the tournament a lot harder to win now.

TRC (43-11) is still alive in the tournament, but has to win five in a row now or see its season end.

The Lady Raiders led 7-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning after Karlye Happold socked a solo home run, but the wheels began to come off in the top half of the next inning.

NCMC began its rally when Maeve Lavoy and Emma Angel had RBI hits to cut the Three Rivers lead to 7-3, the Hailey Shepardson’s two-run single cut the Lady Raider lead to 7-5. Another RBI single made it a one-run game and chased TRC pitcher A.J. Agers from the circle.

After reliever Elly Eckrich issued back-to-back walks to push home the tying run, she recorded back-to-back strikeouts to preserve the tie. However, Three Rivers failed to score in the bottom of the sixth.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the seventh inning, Josie Bezzole speared a line drive to record the second out and temporarily save a run, but another bases-loaded walk pushed home the go-ahead run for NCMC. Lavoy then sat the Lady Raiders down in order in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.

It was a different story earlier in the game.

Three Rivers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Happold’s two-run single that scored Ann-Marie Simpson and Lexi Davis, then Trista Grobe made it 3-1 later in the inning when she doubled home courtesy runner Morgan Courtney.

Agers singled home Jessica Hulsey with two out in the bottom of the second inning to make it 4-1, then Audrey Rahlmann led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer for a 5-1 edge. Hulsey scored later in the inning on a wild pitch plus throwing error to make it 6-1.

The Lady Raiders play an elimination game Friday at 1:30 p.m. and will play again at 6:30 p.m. if they win.