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The Western Boone softball team picked the perfect time to play their best game of the season.
Facing defending sectional champion Rossville, the Stars jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, defeating the Hornets 10-0 in the five innings to move on in Sectional 37.
"This was probably the best game we have played this season so far," Western Boone head coach Mike Vanderpool said. "Hopefully we can keep this going. We were able to adjust to both their pitchers and our girls hit great tonight."
Last year, two teams met in the sectional semifinals, and the Hornets jumped out to a 5-0 lead en route to an 8-2 win.
For a brief second, it looked like a bad case of deja Vu was going to happen for the Stars.
Gracie McDonald lined the third pitch of the game, and while Stars' pitcher Ally Lewis retired the next batter, it was a hard line drive to center.
Then came an early turning point. McDonald tried to steal second base on the next pitch, and WeBo catcher Kenzlei Mathews made a perfect throw to second to catch her stealing for a key second out.
"That calmed us down," Vanderpool said. "Whenever your catcher can throw someone out like that, it gives you momentum and fires everyone up. That was a great play."
With momentum on their side, the Stars wasted little time in getting their bats going.
With one away, Lewis singled and Mickey Burns and Mady Monks walked to load the bases.
Raina Lutz hit into a fielders' choice that scored a run, and Caydence Paris singled home another run to make it 2-0.
Mathews lined a 2-run double to right center to double the Stars' lead and scored on a single from Kensley Blakenship to make it 5-0.
The Stars had 11 hits as a team, with seven different girls getting a hit.
Lewis, Lutz, Mathews and Blakenship had two hits a piece, with Lewis and Monks each scoring three runs.
"All year we would have half the line-up playing well, and the other half would be on at a different time," Vanderpool said. "I knew if we all played well together, we could be a dangerous team. That's what happened tonight."
Monks and Lutz each drove in a run in the second to make it 7-0, and the Stars added three more in the fourth to essentially end the game.
Lewis had the five-inning shut out on the mound, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out six.
Rossville, a team scoring more than seven runs a game, only had one runner reach second base all game.
"She got the cobwebs out in the first inning and then shut them down," Vanderpool said. "Her rise ball wasn't working in the first inning, and they hit her other pitchers. After that first inning she got her rise ball going and that's when she is dangerous."
Western Boone will face North Montgomery in the sectional semifinal on Wednesday night.
The Stars defeated the Chargers 13-0 and 18-4 in their two meetings in mid-April.
"We don't take any team lightly," Vanderpool said. "We won a good game tonight, but we haven't won anything yet. We haven't accomplished what we came her to do so it's back to business tomorrow."
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Facing defending sectional champion Rossville, the Stars jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, defeating the Hornets 10-0 in the five innings to move on in Sectional 37.
"This was probably the best game we have played this season so far," Western Boone head coach Mike Vanderpool said. "Hopefully we can keep this going. We were able to adjust to both their pitchers and our girls hit great tonight."
Last year, two teams met in the sectional semifinals, and the Hornets jumped out to a 5-0 lead en route to an 8-2 win.
For a brief second, it looked like a bad case of deja Vu was going to happen for the Stars.
Gracie McDonald lined the third pitch of the game, and while Stars' pitcher Ally Lewis retired the next batter, it was a hard line drive to center.
Then came an early turning point. McDonald tried to steal second base on the next pitch, and WeBo catcher Kenzlei Mathews made a perfect throw to second to catch her stealing for a key second out.
"That calmed us down," Vanderpool said. "Whenever your catcher can throw someone out like that, it gives you momentum and fires everyone up. That was a great play."
With momentum on their side, the Stars wasted little time in getting their bats going.
With one away, Lewis singled and Mickey Burns and Mady Monks walked to load the bases.
Raina Lutz hit into a fielders' choice that scored a run, and Caydence Paris singled home another run to make it 2-0.
Mathews lined a 2-run double to right center to double the Stars' lead and scored on a single from Kensley Blakenship to make it 5-0.
The Stars had 11 hits as a team, with seven different girls getting a hit.
Lewis, Lutz, Mathews and Blakenship had two hits a piece, with Lewis and Monks each scoring three runs.
"All year we would have half the line-up playing well, and the other half would be on at a different time," Vanderpool said. "I knew if we all played well together, we could be a dangerous team. That's what happened tonight."
Monks and Lutz each drove in a run in the second to make it 7-0, and the Stars added three more in the fourth to essentially end the game.
Lewis had the five-inning shut out on the mound, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out six.
Rossville, a team scoring more than seven runs a game, only had one runner reach second base all game.
"She got the cobwebs out in the first inning and then shut them down," Vanderpool said. "Her rise ball wasn't working in the first inning, and they hit her other pitchers. After that first inning she got her rise ball going and that's when she is dangerous."
Western Boone will face North Montgomery in the sectional semifinal on Wednesday night.
The Stars defeated the Chargers 13-0 and 18-4 in their two meetings in mid-April.
"We don't take any team lightly," Vanderpool said. "We won a good game tonight, but we haven't won anything yet. We haven't accomplished what we came her to do so it's back to business tomorrow."
Continue reading...
