Fort Scott senior Joce Allen looks back to home plate as she rounds second base on her way to third during the third inning of play against the Wichita Warriors at Ellis Park Saturday morning. Allen stole second on that play and moved on to third when the catcher couldn't recover the ball. The Tigers defeated the Warriors, 5-0, as Allen scored two runs. (Captured Images/Kenny Felt) [Click to enlarge]

Fort Scott High's varsity softball team defeated the Wichita Warriors 5-0 in a non-league game Saturday. Then the Tiger junior varsity went out and beat essentially the same team 2-0.

It was a different sort of day all around for the Tigers (2-1). First, this was a Saturday morning game, starting at 10:30 a.m., instead of the usual 4:30 weekday start. Then it was a varsity/JV doubleheader rather than two varsity or two JV contests. The games were played at Ellis Park because their normal home field downtown wasn't dry enough.

Finally, the Warriors don't represent a school. It's one of a few teams in the Wichita area made up of students who are home schooled. A few years ago, a team like this being competitive would have been a major surprise. But as home school teams get better coaching, groups like the Warriors have been playing better.

But pitcher Erica Davis' performance would have beaten just about any team. She pitched a complete-game two-hitter, striking out 18 Warriors without walking a single one.

"She struggled at the plate, but Erica was able to separate her batting and her pitching," Fort Scott head coach Alvin Metcalf said of his junior hurler, who was 0 for 3 at the plate. "She did a great job."

Davis did have stretches where she struck out six straight batters, then five in a row, then four and, finally, the last three in order after the Warriors' leadoff batter reached on an error in the top of the seventh.

Tiger bats were able to crank just three hits as Fort Scott had trouble laying off a high riser from Warrior pitcher Jamie Hays. She had a good day herself, allowing three earned runs on three hits and five walks while striking out nine. But the Tigers chased her from the pitching circle in the top of the sixth as she started to show some wear.

Joce Allen scored the first run as she led off the Tigers' half of the first with a walk. She then stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch.

Allen bunted safely to lead off the third and gained two bases when the catcher let the ball get by her as Allen broke to steal second. Allen scored from third when Wichita's second baseman misplayed Katelyn Simpson's bunt.

Two more runs went up in the fourth to make it 4-0. Erin Coffman led off with a single to left and stole second. Elise Nation then drew a walk and moved up on a passed ball.

Jamie Collins came up and dropped a single just in front of the charging right fielder. Coffman scored easily and Nation hustled around when the Warriors' first baseman dropped the throw back to the infield.

The Tigers' final run scored in the sixth. Coffman reached on an error and stole second. Amanda Bowles' bunt was fielded by the pitcher, who made a bad throw to first. Metcalf, who was in the third-base coaching box, waved Coffman around for the score.

"Amanda laid down a real good bunt," Metcalf said. "Thank goodness Erin was paying attention to me because I was going to have her going all the way. We weren't going to second guess it."

Allen, Coffman and Collins had Fort Scott's hits. Coffman and Allen each scored twice.

The Warriors had just three baserunners. Breanna Page beat out a long, deep throw from Allen at shortstop with two out in the top of the first inning. Allen had to range almost to the outfield grass well to her right just to get to the ball and not too many have enough arm to make the play as close as Allen did. Davis struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Emily Bing singled with two out in the third. She got to second on a passed ball but Davis, again, struck out the next batter to end the inning. Page got on via the error in the seventh and eventually got to third on passed balls but, of course, was stranded there.

Seven of the Warriors who played in the varsity game also played in the JV contest. But Tiger pitcher Peyton Riedel held them to two hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out five. The closest she came to anything particularly dangerous was when the first two batters of the fourth reached base on an error and a single, respectively. Another error saw those runners end up on second and third.

But Riedel got a pop up to first base for the first out and struck out the other two batters to get out of the inning.

Both Tiger runs scored in the third. Britney Holt hustled to second on a flair hit to short right field with one out, then moved to third on a passed ball. Kim Harper reached on a two-out error, which brought Holt in. Harper then stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

Though the players were chomping at the bit to play seven innings, the game was stopped after five as all JV contests usually are.

For the JV to give what amounted to the Warrior varsity a good game came as no real surprise to Metcalf.

"We've got a good JV," Metcalf said. "They push the varsity. The first time we scrimmaged, the varsity only won 3-2. The next time, it was 4-1.

"And six of the nine starters on the JV are freshmen. These girls are a big key for the future for us."

The Tiger varsity heads to Parsons this afternoon for a Southeast Kansas League doubleheader against Parsons. They'll return home -- and hopefully back to their normal home, Don Hewett Field -- Thursday when they play the make-up doubleheader against Pittsburg.

The Tiger JV played at Girard this afternoon, which replaced another cancelled doubleheader against Pittsburg. They are scheduled to host Uniontown against 4:30 Friday afternoon at Don Hewett Field.

Varsity

Wichita Warriors.... 000 000 0 -- 0 2 4

Fort Scott.......... 101 201 x -- 5 3 1

WP -- Davis (1-1). LP -- Hays.

HR -- none.

Junior varsity

Wichita Warriors........ 000 00 -- 0 2 1

Fort Scott.................. 002 0x -- 2 1 3