Lady Spartans defeat Clear Lake 1-0, fall to ADM 3-0
The Lady Spartans travelled to Roland to take part in the two day Kiwanis softball tournament Friday and Saturday, June 19-20, where they took on 18-1 Clear Lake (#11 Class 3A) and 14-4 ADM (#1 Class 4A) on Friday. Solon managed only one run in the two games, but pitchers Laeni Hinkle and Beckitt Kabela kept Solon in both games.
Solon got their biggest win of the year in game one against Clear Lake, 1-0. Hinkle befuddled Clear Lake all game and finished off a “welcome to WaMaC softball” day for the Lady Lions who also lost to Mt Vernon 4-0. Clear Lake (#11 Class 3A) boasts a team batting average of .479 but rarely faces the quality of pitching seen in the WaMaC. Hinkle earned her third win against one loss with the complete game. The junior scattered nine hits and worked out of trouble consistently through the game.
Solon scored the game’s only run in the third inning after 8th grader Kinley Strief singled and Hinkle’s bunt was mishandled putting runners on the corners. Hinkle then attempted a steal of second and was thrown out but Strief danced home with the only run the Lady Spartans would need. Senior Dillon Ostrander continued her tremendous season with a pair of hits to put her season batting average at a team leading.415.
Stats
Hits – Dillon Ostrander 2, Kinley Strief 1, Ashtyn Swancutt 1, Beckett Kruse 1
2B – Kruse 1
Pitching – Laeni Hinkle (W) 7.0 innings, 78 pitches, 9 hits, 0 runs 1 walk
Game two saw even stiffer competition with the top-ranked ADM Tigers. A seemingly overmatched Kabela threw for Solon against her third ranked team of the week, and she came through again with five scoreless innings. Unfortunately ADM’s 7-0 Makenna Pitlick was up to the task and threw a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts for her eighth win on the season.
After working around four ADM hits and three Solon errors, Kabela finally cracked in the sixth. A leadoff single was followed by two perfect bunts and the score was 1-0. A double then made it 3-0 and junior Zoey Melloy came on to relieve the hard luck sophomore.
Melloy shut the Tigers down quickly with a strikeout and a line drive double play, but a scoreless Solon seventh ended the game. Kabela leads the team with a 2.88 ERA but holds a 0-4 record with losses to ADM and Williamsburg (top ranked in 4A and 3A), Mt Vernon (#4 3A) and Independence (1 earned run allowed).
Kabela, sophomore Beckitt Kruse, and 8th grader Ashtyn Swancutt each had hits for the Lady Spartans in the loss. Solon’s record went to 12-10 ahead of Saturday’s two games.
Stats
Hits – Beckitt Kabela 1, Ashtyn Swancutt 1, Beckett Kruse 1
2B – Swancutt 1
Sac – Laeni Hinkle 1,
Pitching – Kabela (L) 5.0 innings, 72 pitches, 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts. Zoey Melloy 1.0 innings, 5 pitches, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 strikeout
Solon rallies for 2-2 split at Roland Story tournament
5-2 win over Humboldt follows 3-1 loss to Gilbert in Saturday’s action in Roland.
Solon’s bats stayed quiet in Roland for most of Saturday June 20 as they managed only a single run through the first 14 innings of play but rallied for five in the top of the 8th to beat Humboldt 5-2 and salvage a split for the day (1-1) and tournament (2-2).
Solon opened the day with formerly ranked 4A foe Gilbert, and a third consecutive pitcher’s duel ensued. The Lady Spartan super sophs opened the scoring when Liv Nelson singled, stole second and scored on Beckitt Kabela’s two-out single. Laeni Hinkle started in the circle for Solon fresh off her shutout performance Friday. Gilbert nicked her for single runs in the first three innings and Zoey Melloy relieved tossing three shutout innings and allowing a single hit. Solon’s bats stayed silent though with Kabela adding a second hit and Hinkle and Layla Knazze getting Solon’s other two knocks. Gilbert took the 3-1 win and moved to 10-7 on the season. Solon dropped to 12-11.
Stats
Hits – Beckitt Kabela 2, Laeni Hinkle 1, Layla Knazze 1
RBI – Kabela 1
Pitching – Hinkle (L) 3.0 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 0 walks, 0 strikeouts. Zoey Melloy 3.0 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
Solon returned to the diamond to play Humboldt in a game Solon expected to dominate. They did anything but as the game again saw two pitchers battling and bats struggling. Emerson Miller pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth as she got two straight ground balls hit to her for fielder’s choice outs. Kabela singled with two outs in the fourth to no avail and led off the seventh with another hit but was removed from the game for a second time for a pinch runner ending her afternoon. The move almost backfired as Solon failed to score again and her hitting spot came up again in the eighth inning. Miller shut down the Cats in the bottom of the seventh and the game went to extra innings.
A Knazze sacrifice bunt put courtesy runner Chloe Madura on third with one out and the Humboldt defense finally buckled. Beckett Kruse’s perfect slug bunt to second was thrown home late and the Lady Spartans were finally on the board, but far from finished. Nora Sanderson’s grounder to shortstop was thrown late to first and Solon had a rally started. Hinkle then stroked a hard one hopper to the Cats’ third baseman and after several great plays she committed her first error. Nelson lined a hit off the shortstop’s glove and Humboldt was losing their composure. Two more mishandled ground balls left Solon with a 5-0 lead.
Humbold then scored a pair of runs on a Solon error and a double, but Miller slammed the door when Nelson threw out the final Humboldt batter for the 5-2 win.
Stats
Hits – Beckitt Kabela 2, Nora Sanderson 1, Liv Nelson 1, Beckett Kruse 1
RBI – Ashtyn Swancutt 2, Nelson 1, Kinley Strief 1
Sac – Layla Knazze 1
Pitching – Emerson Miller 8.0 innings, 91 pitches, 7 hits, 2 unearned runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
All four Solon hurlers had great weekends as the Lady Spartans allowed five earned runs over the four games, but key to their success was Nelson’s play at shortstop. She was rock solid in every big moment ending several innings with superb plays. Kabela was the offensive star with five hits, a walk and an RBI over the four games and has hit .380 over the last two weeks. Miller picked up her seventh win against three losses and leads the staff in wins and innings pitched.
Humboldt moved to 5-14 on the season while Solon went to 13-11 with Benton Community on deck for Monday June 22 in Solon. The Bobcats (10-12) defeated Humboldt as well (7-5 on Friday) and also went 2-2 on the weekend in Roland.