Fort Scott shortstop Maggie Cornish attempts to tag Allen County's Brecken McDaniel in the top of the sixth inning of the second game of a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division doubleheader at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex Sunday afternoon. McDaniel was able to knock the ball out of Cornish's glove and was called safe. (Tribune photo/Scott Nuzum) [Click to enlarge]

What happened Sunday at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex wasn't exactly what Fort Scott Community College softball coach Lauren Sigwing was hoping for.

Coming off a promising pair of games Thursday against Johnson County -- the Greyhounds were swept but lost just 5-3 and 6-5 against one of the conference's toughest programs -- the 9-2, 4-1 sweep at the hands of visiting Allen County in a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division make-up doubleheader.

"We just weren't mentally ready," Sigwing said. "We had a lot of weird stuff happen at the beginning of the game and then we let that take us out of the game."

Jessica Uhler, a 2006 graduate of Fort Scott High School, scores Allen County's run in the seventh inning of the second game against Fort Scott Community College Sunday at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex. Uhler had five hits to help the Red Devils post a sweep. (Tribune photo/Scott Nuzum) [Click to enlarge]

Among the "weird things" Sigwing referred to were a first-inning play where an Allen County runner was ruled safe on a play even though she was tagged out trying to steal second.

The Allen County player was shaken up on the play, allowing Sigwing time to debate it with the umpire, who seemed to change his original reasoning for calling the Red Devil safe. At first, it sounded as if he ruled her safe because he either called time out prematurely or lost track of the ball. He later said that it was obstruction on the part of the Fort Scott player, ruling that she was blocking the Allen runner without possession of the ball.

That could have been because the ball hit the Allen County runner and the Fort Scott player had to reach over her to get to the ball. But we digress....

The Red Devils ended up scoring twice in that inning. Fort Scott (1-5 in conference and overall) got one back in the second. Maggie Cornish led off with a single. She advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Chelsey Rickabaugh's single.

The 'Hounds tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth. Sam Ribas walked and later scored on Lindsay Boham's single.

Allen County (2-0, 4-7) scored six runs in the top of the fifth, one of those innings where the ball just seemed to know exactly where to go in order to sneak through the infield or to make that just-bad-enough hop to cause a miscue.

One more run for the Devils in the top of the sixth created the final margin.

Cornish, Rickabaugh, Bonham Sarah Doyle and Samantha Hays each had one of Fort Scott's five hits in the opener.

The Greyhounds looked ready to bounce back in the second game and scored first as Hannah Somers led off with a single, moved up on Chelsea Clark's hit and scored on Ribas' two-out single.

But Allen County tied it in the top of the fourth, added two in the sixth and put up one more in the seventh for good measure.

The Greyhounds will host two doubleheaders this week before going to Broken Arrow, Okla., for a two-day tournament over the weekend.

Cowley College visits first for a conference twinbill today at 2 p.m. at the BRWC. Former Tigers Heather Davis (Class of 2006) and Erin Floyd (Class of '07) are on the Cowley Tigers' roster. Cowley comes into the doubleheader with a 9-3 record.

Thursday, Crowder College (Mo.) will visit for a non-conference twinbill that also begins at 2 p.m.

Sigwing is hopeful that the Greyhounds will be able to bounce back and play strong this week.

"Hopefully, (Sunday's play) isn't a trend," Sigwing said. "We do seem to get up for the good teams but you can't play like that the whole season. We have to have more consistency."

NOTES -- There are only three sophomores on the 2008 Greyhounds, one of whom is a transfer.

Returning are Rickabaugh and Ribas. Rickabaugh is listed as a utility player but played first base Sunday. Ribas is the Greyhounds' catcher. Pitcher Ashley Harris of Etna, Calf., is the transfer.

Also on the team is freshman center fielder Crystal Colvin, a 2007 FSHS graduate, and freshman outfielder Chelsea Clark of Galena....

Cowley is 2-0 in the conference after a sweep of Coffeyville last week....

Game One

Allen County...... 200 061 0 -- 9 15 1

Fort Scott.......... 010 100 0 -- 2 5 3

WP -- Hill. LP -- Boham.

HR -- none.

Game Two

Allen County...... 201 000 1 -- 4 4 2

Fort Scott.......... 310 000 1 -- 5 5 1

WP -- Hill. LP -- Harris.

HR -- none.