Westran ace sends Kelly to tough 1-0 loss in nine innings

~ Megan Summers pitched her team to the state championship game.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Something had to give Friday as Kelly matched its high-powered offense against Westran's stellar pitching in the Class 2 semifinals at the Rainbow Softball Complex.

Westran (26-3) starter Megan Summers had allowed just three earned runs in 118 innings, while Kelly entered with a .377 team batting average, the highest among the four remaining Class 2 schools.

In the end, Summers quelled Kelly's offense and outdueled Hawks starter Kalie Hughes in a 1-0, nine inning victory.

Westran will play Palmyra at 12:30 p.m. today in the finals. Kelly plays Marion C. Early at 5:30 p.m. today for third place.

"We couldn't get anything through," Kelly coach Rhonda Ratledge. "Westran was all over the field. We hit some good shots. Brittany [Ponder] hit a good shot in left, Katee [Moore] had a good shot up the middle and Londyn [Backfish] hit the ball hard to first with a runner on third. We just couldn't get it through. Westran played a great defensive game."

Summers allowed five hits, struck out nine and did not walk a batter. Kelly (25-7) did not have more than one baserunner on in an inning throughout the game, and only once got a runner past second.

"That's fastpitch softball," Westran coach Kelly Odneal said.

Hughes was equally effective on the other side, allowing just five hits as well. Kelly's senior hurler had her control issues times with four walks but was aided by eight strikeouts.

"She threw a good game," Ratledge said. "The girls played a good game. We just couldn't get a break here or there. Those things are going to happen when you play seven innings and it's 0-0."

Bethanie Million, a .229 hitter in the No. 7 hole, drove in the winning run with a squeeze bunt with one out in the ninth. Corina DeOrnellis led off with an infield single and got to second when the throw from the shortstop got away from Kelly first baseman Casey Kern.

After a sacrifice bunt, Million punched a perfect bunt down the first baseline, and Kern's throw home was not in time.

Odneal said he was not been fond of the squeeze bunt in the past, but he decided to put it in his team's arsenal after a narrow loss in last year's playoffs.

"I've never been a squeeze bunter," he said. "We put it in in June and we've had girls every day working on the squeeze. We've done it 15 or 20 times this year -- sometimes just to do it. That was a good job by [Million]."

Hughes had pitched out of a similar situation in the bottom of the seventh to keep Kelly's hopes alive.

Hughes tried to help herself with a one-out double in the top of the ninth, but she was stranded on third. The only other extra-basehit also came on a double from Hughes in the first. Summers struck out six over the final five innings to help extinguish any of Kelly's few offensive chances.

Through the first six innings neither team had more than one runner reach in an inning. Hughes started her first three innings with strikeouts and struck out the first batter four of the first six innings.

Meanwhile, Kelly did not have get a single leadoff hitter on. Three of Kelly's five hits came with one out, but the Hawks simply do nothing with their few chances.

Kelly has picked up at least one win at the state final four in each of its past five appearances. This is Kelly's 10th appearance in the final four.

"I know the girls are upset, but they can't let that affect them or we're going home in fourth," Ratledge said. "I know we're a better team than fourth."