Softball sweeps, baseball looks to improve

BY MARCUS CLEM

HOMETOWN GIRARD

Season begins with sweep

The Girard Trojans Softball team paraded into a new season over the Parsons Vikings, sweeping a March 29 doubleheader 10-5 and 17-9.

Sydnee Crain opened the can in the top of the first in Game 1, batting in Jacey Murphy. Crain advanced to third and scored on a single by Shelby Smith.

Smith advanced on a Kyah Ferguson double before Katie Pitts scored Smith on an RBI single.

“We just put the ball in play,” said Coach Jim Vinze. “You just got to put the ball in play and good things happen.”

The attack continued in the third as Crain singled and Pitts batted her in. A real downpour followed in the fourth as the first four Trojans reached base before Smith batted one in and Ferguson scored two.

A smattering of action over the remaining three innings ended the first match with the 10-5 final score.

Vinze said he’s proud of the offensive effort but a real key proved to be some clutch surprise pitching after Shelby Smith fatigued.

Kalyn Flaharty, a brand new freshman, pitched the rest of the game completely untested but practice and enough run support paid off.

“She just did an outstanding job,” Vinze said. “Everyone did. They accepted the roles we needed them in and did the best they could.”

Game 2 began with RBIs from Crain and Ferguson in the first following some offensive fire down the line. Calea Augustin scored Murphy in the second before Laney Shireman circled the bases following a walk.

Pitts singled to start the action in the third before Jalynn Jenkins scored her. Jenkins scored on a single from Laney Shireman, before Shireman reached home thanks to Ashley McDonald.

Murphy kept the pressure on in the fourth and scored on Kyah Ferguson’s performance in the box. Three more runs by Jenkins, Shireman and McDonald would come in the inning.

Game 2’s impressive final tally of 17-9 came after runs by Crain and Pitts in the fifth with Jenkins and Kelsey Kirby touching home in the seventh.

Flaharty took the Trojans through four innings with all the run support in the world, putting up enough roadblocks in Parsons’ way to ensure it wouldn’t go to waste.

When Vinze pulled Flaharty out to preserve her arm, he still felt comfortable given the score, but a little uncertain in turning to McDonald, who had not pitched in more than two years.

“It was a bit of a touchy situation,” Vinze said.

Yet, McDonald held the Vikings down and Girard cruised to the victory.

The Trojans boarded the bus home with the best possible start. They will next play on March 31 in Fort Scott.

Disappointment, potential in Parsons

A double header in Parsons to start 2016 baseball for Girard offered double trouble, thanks to the Vikings.

The Trojans lost the first game, 3-8, and the second, 4-9, after showing some promise early on in both. Parsons scored several runs with two outs. Coach Steve Bever touched on the lesson in his post-game comments.

“I don’t know how many times we got two outs, and we just suffered too many walks and hits in those situations,” Bever said. “That just kills the defense and gives [Parsons] too many opportunities to score.”

In Game 1, Three runs fueled by stolen bases from Tanner Stout and several bloop hits hinted at Girard’s potential for the night.

Yet, Parsons equalized at 3-3 with a perfectly bunted ball that lost the will to live between first and home plate. The batter reached on the play.

The Vikings sacked the fourth, ultimately scoring four runs in the inning to make the score 3-7.

Following bad luck with the man in the iron mask, leading to Parsons players reaching home on balls, Bever replaced pitcher Garrett Bailey with Bailey Crapson.

Several Trojans reached base in the fifth but a double play and flyout shut them down. The Trojans would not recover.

“If we don’t walk all those guys, we can get to the point where our defense has a chance to make outs,” Bever said. “Pitchers just have to throw more strikes and change speeds a lot more.”

Parsons dinged Crapson with a sac fly in the bottom of the sixth to reach the final score of 3-8. An uneventful seventh brought the game to a close.

Game 2 began much like game 1, with signs of Trojan promise and two runs.

The first came after Parsons outfielder confusion allowed a pop-fly to drop just beyond the infield. The second came after the Vikings’ pitcher overthrew a routine grounder to first and a runner advanced home.

The Vikings brought the heat on pitcher Tanner Stout in the bottom of the third. The attack proved too much for Stout and the Trojans defense. The inning finally ended with a score of 2-8.

Girard couldn’t regain momentum through the fourth. Parsons sustained theirs to wax the lead to 2-9 against relief pitcher Kross Hamblin.

Chilly bat syndrome seemed to afflict the Trojans through the fifth until Teddy Paoni reached on a throwing error.

A prompt double line-drive from Garrett Barnaby chipped the Parsons lead to 3-9. Parsons’ pitcher caught the next batter looking to end the inning.

“We didn’t hit the ball that bad. Lot of times, right at guys. Late in the games, we got called out a whole bunch,” Bever said. “We never expected to play our best the first day of the year, but we can do better.”

Trouble continued for Girard in the fifth as Parsons loaded the bases against pitcher Evan Troike. Yet despite frustration with an apparently tight zone, Troike did not allow any additional runs.

Troike reached base on balls in the sixth, proceeding to second on the merits of a liner to left from Ethan Goff. However, a groundout strangled the inning for Girard.

Ty Norris took the mound to tamp down Parsons’ last offensive of the evening. He induced a flyout and caught a Viking looking, but a misplay at first base put Girard back under pressure with runners at the corners.

Norris found the bases loaded as he searched for the strike zone, but a popup prevented more damage.

Girard settled for a second loss, 4-9, though staved off as Teddy Paoni beat the shortstop’s throw to first and Garrett Barnaby walked, followed by Jake Bennett. Ty Norris walked Paoni home to add a run on the loaded bases.

The game ended after a scattered flyout and called strikeout, followed by a short bloop into the Parsons pitcher’s hands; he immediately threw Barnaby out at the plate.

“I know between state basketball and spring break we haven’t had as much chance to practice,” Bever said. “There’s things we can improve on all around, we just have to get a positive attitude and get back out there.”

This attitude will hopefully have a chance to show itself on March 31 in Fort Scott.