Softball Season Comes To Halt

OFF-SPEED PITCHING KEEPS LADY MUSTANGS guessing in sectional playoff loss

PHOTO BY RICK PECK McDonald County’s Kylie Helm slides into third base with a triple before Ozark third baseman Tara McCormack can get a tag on her during the Lady Tigers 5-2 win on Oct. 13 at MCHS in a Missouri Class 4 sectional softball playoff game.
PHOTO BY RICK PECK McDonald County’s Kylie Helm slides into third base with a triple before Ozark third baseman Tara McCormack can get a tag on her during the Lady Tigers 5-2 win on Oct. 13 at MCHS in a Missouri Class 4 sectional softball playoff game.

Rick Peck

McDonald County Press

The Ozark Lady Tigers used small ball and slow pitch to beat McDonald County 5-2 in a Missouri Class 3 sectional softball game played Oct. 13 at McDonald County High School.

Two bunt hits, a McDonald County error on another and two more errors on "slaps" contributed to all five runs for the Lady Tigers, just two of which were earned.

That was more than enough for Ozark's Brooke Pridgen, who held the Lady Mustangs to two runs on seven hits while striking out seven without issuing a walk. The junior right-hander kept McDonald County hitters off balance with her effective super-slow change-up that she threw at least on a quarter of her pitches.

"She stayed middle/away and we didn't make any adjustments at the plate," said coach Skyler Rawlins. "Her change up bothered us a little bit and we never adjusted to it."

Ozark also managed just seven hits, but used three McDonald County errors and three walks to score five runs, including three unearned runs, off of Paige Jones in her final game as a Lady Mustang.

"It came down to execution," Rawlins said. "They played the game the right way, and we had some costly mistakes."

McDonald County took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Cloee Helm started the two-out rally with a double to the right-center gap before Hanna Schmit singled in the game's first run. Kylie Helm followed with an infield single, but Pridgen retired Whitney Kinser on a groundout to second to end the threat.

Ozark answered in the top of fourth, scoring two runs on two hits and an error. The Lady Tigers added a run in the fifth. They loaded the bases with no outs on two bunt hits and a walk before Jones got of the jam with just one run scoring on a sacrifice fly. Ozark added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth on a pair of errors and a walk.

"They put two really good bunts down, and we kind of freaked out in that situation and didn't execute," Rawlins said. "You have to get outs when they are giving them to you. When you give a team three free outs, it will come back to haunt you."

The Lady Mustangs cut the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Kylie Helm tripled to lead off the inning before scoring on a groundout by Kinser.

Ozark escaped a possible seventh-inning rally by turning a double play to end the game. Jones singled with one out to give a large home crowd, watching the first-ever state playoff game in any sport at MCHS, hopes for a last-inning comeback. With pinch runner Miryam Martinez on first base, Ozark center fielder Morgan Doyle made a diving catch of pinch hitter Rita Santillan's sinking line drive before throwing to first for the final out.

McDonald County finished the season with a 20-6 record, including its first district championship since 2008.

"We told the girls, 'Your season doesn't show tonight,'" Rawlins said. "'Your season doesn't come down to one game.' It was one of the best-ever seasons for McDonald County, and for these seniors it's been a great two years. (Rawlins is in his second year as the Lady Mustangs' coach). They have set a precedent for the younger girls on how to take care of business. They have done it the right way. We won't replace them, but we will have someone come in we will be ready to reload."

Sports on 10/20/2016