Knights Tame Tigers 14-9 In Softball Opener
April 13, 2022 at 1:28 a.m.
Knights Tame Tigers 14-9 In Softball Opener
By Chip Davenport-
East Noble put up three-runs in the second and third innings and used a 4-run, two-out burst in the top of a five-run sixth inning to ward off the pesky Tigers.
“I like what we’ve got,” Tiger head coach Kevin Dishman said. “We can hit the ball. We’ve got to make sure we can play solid defense, though.”
Warsaw committed four errors, and three of those miscues prolonged the aforementioned innings the Knights used to fight off a tenacious Tiger effort.
East Noble batted around the entire order in the second inning, sent eight players to the plate in the third, and with a 9-6 lead headed into the top of the sixth inning, the Knights made eleven trips to the plate to put the game out of reach.
Some of the miscues rattled some of the younger Tigers, but the veteran Warsaw players shook off the on-field woes.
“You cannot drop a ball. You cannot give those things up,” Dishman remarked. “The older kids know how to get past those things, but they younger kids will carry it around a little while.”
Warsaw jumped ahead 2-0 on junior third baseman Lauren Eastwood’s two-run home run. Eastwood drove in 5 runs altogether courtesy of a sacrifice in the fourth inning and a two-run double in the fifth inning. She anchored the infield with three assists and two put-outs snuffing out East Noble’s attempts to steal third base.
Her partner in theft prevention was senior Avery Sleeth, Warsaw’s catcher, and a Grace College signee. Sleeth not only combined with Eastwood on the attempted thefts, but she did not allow a single passed ball, and pitches were thrown her way high, low, and way outside on occasion.
“She’s solid all the time,” Dishman said. “Battin’ the ball too. If you’re out there running bases you gotta’ be careful.”
Sleeth, who scored each of the three times she reached base, batted 2 for 3 with a screaming triple through center field and a walk.
The Knights led 14-6 after their sixth-inning rally when another Tiger returning starter rose to occasion with a big hit. Sophomore Kali Ousley was just cleared Tuesday morning to play. She spent most of her winter in a boot brace.
Despite what seemed to be a limiting factor on her mobility, Dishman was confident in her hitting and started her at a designated hitter slot before she moved into her second base slot in the infield later in the contest.
“She could sit in a chair and hit the ball,” Dishman mused.
The sophomore didn’t disappoint at the plate. Her base-clearing, three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning wound up Warsaw’s scoring for the evening. Ousley was 2 for 3 with a sacrifice bunt, scoring one run.
Kendyll Landis, Warsaw’s junior returnee at first base, added two doubles and hi the ball hard in each of her four trips to the plate.
The Tigers had one of their strongest opening offensive showings among recent years’ season openers, and Dishman acknowledged the confidence of his returning starters, in addition to his confidence in his younger players getting just as comfortable as the season progresses.
Defense, however, is where the Tiger manager is going to focus on in order for his squad to preserve future leads after scoring plenty of runs.
“We are not gonna play a lot of 1-0 games. The scoreboards are gonna get some work. We just have to make sure we play good defense. We’ve preached it in the preseason, and they saw it tonight. If someone drops a ball three runs will probably score after that.”
East Noble put up three-runs in the second and third innings and used a 4-run, two-out burst in the top of a five-run sixth inning to ward off the pesky Tigers.
“I like what we’ve got,” Tiger head coach Kevin Dishman said. “We can hit the ball. We’ve got to make sure we can play solid defense, though.”
Warsaw committed four errors, and three of those miscues prolonged the aforementioned innings the Knights used to fight off a tenacious Tiger effort.
East Noble batted around the entire order in the second inning, sent eight players to the plate in the third, and with a 9-6 lead headed into the top of the sixth inning, the Knights made eleven trips to the plate to put the game out of reach.
Some of the miscues rattled some of the younger Tigers, but the veteran Warsaw players shook off the on-field woes.
“You cannot drop a ball. You cannot give those things up,” Dishman remarked. “The older kids know how to get past those things, but they younger kids will carry it around a little while.”
Warsaw jumped ahead 2-0 on junior third baseman Lauren Eastwood’s two-run home run. Eastwood drove in 5 runs altogether courtesy of a sacrifice in the fourth inning and a two-run double in the fifth inning. She anchored the infield with three assists and two put-outs snuffing out East Noble’s attempts to steal third base.
Her partner in theft prevention was senior Avery Sleeth, Warsaw’s catcher, and a Grace College signee. Sleeth not only combined with Eastwood on the attempted thefts, but she did not allow a single passed ball, and pitches were thrown her way high, low, and way outside on occasion.
“She’s solid all the time,” Dishman said. “Battin’ the ball too. If you’re out there running bases you gotta’ be careful.”
Sleeth, who scored each of the three times she reached base, batted 2 for 3 with a screaming triple through center field and a walk.
The Knights led 14-6 after their sixth-inning rally when another Tiger returning starter rose to occasion with a big hit. Sophomore Kali Ousley was just cleared Tuesday morning to play. She spent most of her winter in a boot brace.
Despite what seemed to be a limiting factor on her mobility, Dishman was confident in her hitting and started her at a designated hitter slot before she moved into her second base slot in the infield later in the contest.
“She could sit in a chair and hit the ball,” Dishman mused.
The sophomore didn’t disappoint at the plate. Her base-clearing, three-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning wound up Warsaw’s scoring for the evening. Ousley was 2 for 3 with a sacrifice bunt, scoring one run.
Kendyll Landis, Warsaw’s junior returnee at first base, added two doubles and hi the ball hard in each of her four trips to the plate.
The Tigers had one of their strongest opening offensive showings among recent years’ season openers, and Dishman acknowledged the confidence of his returning starters, in addition to his confidence in his younger players getting just as comfortable as the season progresses.
Defense, however, is where the Tiger manager is going to focus on in order for his squad to preserve future leads after scoring plenty of runs.
“We are not gonna play a lot of 1-0 games. The scoreboards are gonna get some work. We just have to make sure we play good defense. We’ve preached it in the preseason, and they saw it tonight. If someone drops a ball three runs will probably score after that.”
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