Cougar softball team downs Kenton

Van Wert softball news

The Van Wert Cougar softball team played a tight defense and rallied in the sixth to beat the Kenton Wildcats 3-1 in a Western Buckeye League contest Thursday night at Jubilee Park. Four seniors were recognized by Coaches Mike and Karen McClure prior to the game. Seniors include Brittany Bigham, first base; Maggie Allmandinger, left field; Jessica Klausing, pitcher; and Melissa Roop, right field.

The first inning was uneventful with both teams batting 3 up and 3 down.  Kenton started off the second inning with a long fly ball to the fence, only to be robbed by Cougar right fielder Melissa Roop, who came up with the ball in her glove as she bounced off the fence. The next batter popped up to the catcher, Saige Royer. A base on balls put a runner on for Kenton, which was followed by a nice hit into short center field.  Kenton was again robbed, though, this time by centerfielder Hannah Hulbert, who charged after the ball and refused to let it drop in for a hit. The inning ended with the score still 0-0.

The only highlight of the third inning was a Kenton double.  The Cougars started the fourth hoping to score after two slap hit singles by Hulbert and Roop, but three outs followed, leaving both runners stranded.

There was lots of action in the fifth inning. Kenton finally got on the scoreboard when a leadoff single was followed by a fielder’s choice that snagged by second baseman Sydney Dull. The throw to shortstop Tiffany Ricketts was out No. 1 with one runner left on first base.  A well-placed bunt put runners on first and second bases, while an error by the Cougar defense resulted in a run for Kenton and runners on second and third. The runner on third was picked off on a nice throw from catcher Saige Royer to third baseman Emily Baer.  The third out came on a fly ball to the outfield and the score was 1-0 Kenton.

The bottom of the fifth looked promising for the Lady Cougars.  A double by Klausing started off the inning, and Lisa Roop came in as relief runner for the pitcher. She stole second base, but the next three batters failed to bring her home.

The Cougars held Kenton in the top of the sixth inning and Van Wert started out with a pop-up to short in the bottom of the inning. Melissa Roop reached first on a slap hit single, followed by a Brittany Bigham stand-up double that was too hot to handle. It burnt up the middle past the shortstop and centerfielder and rolled to the fence, which allowed Roop to cross the plate with the tying run. Bigham stole third, then scored on a single by Allmandinger. A couple of fielder’s choices by Claire White and Klausing brought in Allmandinger for third run of the inning, which ended with the score 3-1, Van Wert. Kenton failed to score in the seventh to end the game.

The Lady Cougars are now 9-8 for the season and 3-5 in the WBL. They faced Lima Central Catholic in Lima last night and travel today to Lima Bath to face Elida in sectional tournament action, starting at 11 a.m.