Fort Scott's Katelyn Simpson throws a pitch to a Parsons batter during a first-round game of the Tigers' season-opening home tournament at Don Hewett Field Tuesday afternoon. Simpson threw a no-hitter while striking out 14 Vikings in an 8-0 win. The Tigers later lost to Girard, 6-0, in the championship game. (Captured Images/Kenny Felt) [Click to enlarge]

They might not believe Fort Scott High School head softball coach Alvin Metcalf when he says that pitcher Katelyn Simpson had rotator cuff surgery late last summer.

Not after Simpson's 14-strikeout, six-walk performance in throwing a no-hitter at Parsons in the first round of the Tigers' annual home tournament that opened the season for all four teams involved Tuesday night at Don Hewett Field.

Girard went on to defeat the Tigers 6-0 in the championship game after beating Pittsburg 9-2 in its first-round game.

Fort Scott's Elise Nation heads for third base during the Tigers' first-round home tournament game against Parsons Tuesday afternoon at Don Hewett Field. Nation later scored on Joce Allen's base hit. (Captured Images/Kenny Felt) [Click to enlarge]

"Katelyn came out of nowhere," Metcalf said of his senior pitcher. "I didn't know if she was going to be able to pitch (this season). But we put her in tonight and she threw very well. Fourteen K's; I didn't even know it.

"We had no errors; that was a big thing. The defense played behind her. (Second baseman) Elise Nation has become a little vacuum cleaner -- like a Hoover."

Although Parsons looked somewhat better than it's been in the past, the Vikings were still no match for the Tigers, who scored first when Erica Davis led off the second inning with an inside-the-park home run.

Fort Scott added three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Erin Coffman hit a flair single to right with one out and moved up on wild pitches, eventually scoring on one.

Elise Nation walked with two out. Jamie Collins singled and Joce Allen followed up with another hit that plated Nation. Collins moved to third on the play and scored on a wild pitch.

Two runs went up in the fifth. Hannah Hawkins led off with a triple to center and scored on a wild pitch. Afton Gray, playing with stitches in her foot, reached on an error and scored when Erin Coffman singled to left.

The final two went on the board in the sixth. Collins led off with a single and stole second and third before scoring in a passed ball. Allen walked, stole second and took home on a wild throw as Parsons tried to catch her stealing third.

Collins and Hawkins each had two hits in the first game.

Girard 9, Pittsburg 2.

Alysha Poteat had two hits for the Trojans. Her first was a home run over the short fence in the first inning that scored two of five runs Girard posted in the inning.

Her second hit went over the fence as well but tournament rules started that any player who hit more than one ball over the fence would have the subsequent ones counted only as doubles.

Poteat also pitched a complete game, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out nine Purple Dragons.

Carly Twarog and Ariel Vinze each had two hits and scored twice for Girard in the first-round win.

Allison Percy hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for Pittsburg.

Girard 6, Fort Scott 0.

Metcalf said that the difference in the Tigers' loss to Girard was the fact that the Trojans got their bunts down and the Tigers didn't.

The pressure Girard put on the Tiger defense in the bottom of the fifth inning in that game -- a coin toss determined which was home team -- forced Fort Scott to commit five errors leading to four unearned runs.

The Trojans scored their first two runs in the third inning as Poteat's triple to right-center scored two runners who had drawn walks.

"We threw her an outside fastball hoping she'd try to pull it," Metcalf said. "And she just took it to right field and turned it into a triple."

Girard's first two batters of the fifth, Lisa Curran and Stewart, reached on errors before Twarog tripled them home to start the deluge. Burks then reached on an error, which allowed her to get to second, moved up on Poteat's single and scored on another error.

Poteat went two for three in for Girard. Starr McLeod allowed five hits and one walk while striking out eight Tigers.

Davis started and went the first five innings inside the pitching circle. But she had to come out after tightness in her back became too much to overcome while warming up for the sixth. She allowed two earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out four.

"Erica threw very well until her back started hurting her in the fifth inning," Metcalf said. "She wanted to fight through it. But we brought Katelyn back in and she finished up well."

The Tiger varsity isn't scheduled to play again until April 3 when it will host Pittsburg in a Southeast Kansas League doubleheader at Don Hewett Field.

NOTES -- The Tiger JV begins play Friday with a home doubleheader against Pittsburg that will start at 4:30 at Don Hewett Field. Fort Scott's JV will face Pittsburg twice this season, going down to face the Dragons on April 7....

The result of the third-place game between Parsons and Pittsburg wasn't available at press time....

First Round

Parsons............. 000 000 0 -- 0 0 4

Fort Scott.......... 010 322 x -- 8 9 0

WP -- Simpson (1-0). LP -- Taylor.

HR -- Fort Scott: Davis (1, 2nd inn., none on, none out).

First Round

Girard.............. 520 101 0 -- 9 10 1

Pittsburg........... 000 110 0 -- 2 3 3

WP -- Poteat. LP -- Lair.

HR -- Girard: Poteat (1st inn., one on, one out). Pittsburg: Percy (5th inn., none on, two out).

Third-place game

Information not available at press time.

Championship

Fort Scott.......... 000 000 0 -- 0 5 5

Girard.............. 002 040 x -- 6 5 1

WP -- McLeod. LP -- Davis (0-1).

HR -- none.