Lady Squires Blank Wabash In Softball Sectional Action
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Anthony Gadson-agadson@timesuniononline.com
WABASH — The Manchester High School softball team didn’t have to sweat too much in its first-round game of Class 2A Sectional 37 at Wabash, Monday. Needing just four innings to put up 15 runs, the Manchester Lady Squires (14-9) put the host Wabash Lady Apaches (2-24) down 15-0 in five innings, moving on to today’s 5 p.m. semifinal against Lewis Cass. Cass advanced to the semifinals by defeating Northfield 3-2 just before the Manchester/Wabash game. In the rout, Wabash’s only hit came from its first batter of the game. After that, Manchester senior Sydney Jordan didn’t surrender another one, going five innings, striking out six. “She was throwing the ball where she needed to be throwing it,” Manchester coach Brittany Fratus said. “Her and (senior catcher) Nina (Smith) work great together.” While Jordan was sitting the Lady Apache batters down, she was also doing it at the plate, going 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Also for Manchester, freshman leadoff hitter Brooklyn Howard was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and Smith went 2 for 2 with a double. “The girls jumped out and hit the ball right away,” Fratus said. “They got four runs in the first inning and they never let up. They kept hitting the ball hard. “Every one of them can hit the ball,” she added. “They showed that tonight.” Leading 8-0 going into the bottom of the fourth, Manchester needed just two runs for the potential mercy rule to go into effect, provided Wabash didn’t score in the top of the fifth. Instead of scoring two runs, Manchester got seven, although only two were earned as the Wabash defense didn’t do sophomore pitcher Diane King any favors, committing a total of six errors in the game. Against Cass, Manchester likely won’t get as many free bases, but Fratus believes her team’s aggressiveness at the plate will need to continue. “We have to find the holes like we did tonight,” she said. “We can’t take it easy.”
MANCHESTER 15, WABASH 0 (5 innings) (Sectional 37, 1st Rd) W 000 00 – 0 1 6 M 422 7x – 15 10 1 Manchester – Sydney Jordan (W, 5IP, 0R, 1H, 6K, 0BB, 1HB) and Nina Smith. Wabash – Diane King (L, 4IP, 15R, 5ER, 10H, 4K, 3BB, 1HB) and Montana Castro. 2B – Smith (M). 3B – Marret Metzger (M). Records: Manchester 14-9, Wabash 2-24.
