Greyhounds give No. 11 Johnson County fits before falling

Monday, April 23, 2007
Parker sophomore Hannah Page (6) is greeted at home plate by teammates Megan Troyer (4), Lisa Pearse (11), Tyler Murphy (10) and Chelsey Rickabaugh (15) after she hit a grand slam in the fifth inning of the first game of Fort Scott Community College's doubleheader with Johnson County at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex Saturday afternoon. Johnson County came back to win this game 13-9 and took the second game 7-0. (Tribune photo/Scott Nuzum)

Fort Scott Community College's softball program is coming around under first-year head coach Lauren Sigwing.

A Greyhound team full of confidence took the field at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex Saturday ready to take on Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division leader Johnson County, which came into the doubleheader ranked No. 11 in the country.

The Greyhounds had a five-run lead after five innings in the first game. But Johnson County drew on its experience and some clutch hitting to win the first game 13-9. The Cavaliers carried the momentum over into the second game for a 7-0 win and the sweep.

These were non-conference games and the 'Hounds fell to 10-32 overall. That may not look good on the face of it. But that's four more victories than the last two seasons combined and four of those wins have come in the last 10 games (two of the losses were against second-place Cowley, which is ranked fourth in the nation) after Fort Scott won just five of its first 30 games.

In 2005, Fort Scott was 2-32. In 2006, it was 3-32 with two wins coming on the same day.

"Last year was rough for them and we've struggled a little bit this year, too," Sigwing said. "We've had to overcome that kind of losing mentality. Those sophomores are fighters for sure, the ones who stuck it out and came back. At the beginning of the season, we played a lot more timid. We weren't confident. Now we're a lot more mentally tough and they fight through it more."

LaCygne sophomore third baseman Carla Stout fields a bunt in the fifth inning of Saturday's first game. Stout got the out on this play and Johnson County didn't score in the inning. (Tribune photo/Scott Nuzum).

Fort Scott scored first in game one when Hannah Page reached base on an error, moved to third on Carla Stout's double and scored on Miranda Chaney's groundout.

Johnson County, 32-12, tied the score in the fourth but had a chance to take the lead that it couldn't capitalize on as pitcher Lisa Pearse -- who was an honorable-mention All-KJCCC East selection for Fort Scott last season -- got out of a bases-loaded jam when she induced a groundout to second baseman Tyler Murphy to end the inning.

Fort Scott took the lead with five runs in the fifth. Sam Ribas started the inning with a single to left. She moved to second on an error on Megan Troyer's one-out grounder.

Chelsey Rickabaugh singled to load the bases for Murphy, who knocked in Ribas with a single to left.

Hannah Page came up and belted a grand-slam home run to center field, making it a 6-1 lead.

The Cavaliers came back with four in the sixth, three of which came in on Katie Mathis' home run to right-center. Johnson County scored eight in the seventh, three of which were delivered on Megan Lee's home run to take a 13-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

The Greyhounds fought back as Murphy led off the bottom of the seventh with a double. Page drew a walk then Carla Stout doubled home Murphy.

Amber Langlotz drew a walk. Then Ribas put the ball in play with one out and Page and Stout both scored when the shortstop booted it.

Chelsi Fischer singled to keep the rally going. But then Johnson County pitcher Talia Bodine, who came in right after Page's homer, struck out the last two batters to end the game.

"It seemed like we were really confident," Sigwing said of her team's effort in the first game. "We've been kind of up and down so far this season. At least mentally, they were coming out really ready to play some days and not so ready to play other days and we've talked about that a lot lately. Today, we were definitely ready to go and I think that showed. We played them a really good game in that first game."

Fisher had three hits in five at-bats for the Greyhounds. Murphy was two for three while Stout and Rickabaugh were each two for four.

Mathis was four for five for Johnson County, scoring twice. Tiffany Carter went three for four, drove in two runs and scored three times. Lee went two for four and drove in five. Jill Peters was two for four.

Pearse allowed six runs -- but just two earned -- in six-plus innings. She allowed 10 hits and two walks while striking out two. Murphy finished up, allowing no earned runs on five hits and one walk.

Johnson County got the first run of the second game when Peters hit a home run to lead off the second inning. The next batter, Aubree Brattlin, hit a line drive off pitcher Lynsey Turner's leg. Although she recovered to make the out and got out of the inning without allowing another runner, the muscle eventually became sore enough to affect her pitching.

Fighting the soreness, Turner battled but couldn't pitch as well as she had started out and had to be relieved by Amber Langlotz.

"(Turner's leg) was stiffening up on her," Sigwing said. "She was throwing well and I think she came back mentally tougher because she was fighting a little bit more. But her leg got tighter while we were batting (in the bottom of the second)."

After belting out four straight doubles, Johnson County's lead grew to 5-0. Although Langlotz settled down and allowed two run on six hits and a walk the rest of the way, Fort Scott's bats were kept in check by Jessi Alford -- the same pitcher who started game one for the Cavs and was chased after Page's slam. Alford allowed only three hits and didn't walk anyone in the second game after giving up eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of the opener.

Mathis went three for four for Johnson County, finishing with seven hits in nine at-bats in the doubleheader. Kacee McDonald went two for three while Peters and Tracey Anderson each went two for four. Mathis and Peters both drove in two runs.

Fischer, Murphy, and Megan Troyer had Fort Scott's hits.

The Greyhounds will host doubleheaders today and Tuesday. Neosho County will visit this afternoon for a make-up doubleheader that was originally scheduled for March 27. The teams met in Fort Scott's season opener at Chanute on December 23 with the Panthers sweeping 10-0 and 7-2.

Coffeyville visits Tuesday. The 'Hounds and the Red Ravens will be meeting for the first time this season.

Both doubleheaders are Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division affairs and each will begin at 2 p.m. at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex.

NOTES -- Prior to Wednesday, when the 'Hounds were swept at Crowder (which is 28-9 this season, including 12-1 versus Jayhawk Conference schools), Fort Scott was 4-2 in its previous six games.

We had to go a long way back in the Tribune's record to find a stretch of play as good in recent history. The last time Fort Scott had a 4-2 record over any six-game stretch was in 2004.

How long ago was that? Fort Scott assistant coach Brandi Bryan was the winning pitcher in the second game of that stretch....

Game One

Johnson County 000 104 8 -- 13 15 3

Fort Scott.......... 010 050 3 -- 9 12 5

WP -- Bodine. LP -- Murphy.

HR -- Johnson County: Mathis (6th inn., two on, two out), Lee (7th inn., three on, two out). Fort Scott: Page (5th inn., three on, one out).

Game Two

Johnson County 014 002 0 -- 7 12 0

Fort Scott.......... 000 000 0 -- 0 3 1

WP -- Alford. LP -- Turner.

HR -- Johnson County: Peters (2nd inn., none on, none out)