Grems KO Smithton

The finals of the Kaysinger Conference softball tournament were decided Wednesday as the Sacred Heart Gremlins and Northwest Lady Mustangs won their semifinal games to advance to the championship.

No. 3 seed Sacred Heart knocked off undefeated No. 2 Lincoln 7-2 in the late game. In the early game, No. 1 seed Northwest defeated No. 5 seed Lincoln 10-0 and improved to 12-0.

Laura McMullin started Sacred Heart off early with a three-run home run in the first inning. The shot over the left-field fence gave the Gremlins the momentum and a lead they would hold for the remainder of the game.

“Some of them have been in a little batting slump and they were a little nervous; Laura really got us started and everybody started hitting,” Sacred Heart Coach Edie Taylor said.

After leaving two runners on base in the first inning, Smithton crossed the plate in the second. Alysa Cairer doubled to center and reached third on a passed ball. Cassie Plummer’s ground ball provided the second out of the inning but scored Cairer from third.

Sacred Heart added to its lead in the third inning. With two outs, Laura Honn and McMullin drew consecutive walks. Rachel Fischer capitalized on the walks with a single to right field that sent Honn and McMullin across home plate. A mishandled fly ball in outfield sent another run home for the Gremlins before the third inning came to a close.

Both teams failed to score in the fourth inning, but showed strong defense. Smithton pitcher Alysha Case and her infield set the Gremlins down in order with three consecutive ground-ball outs. Sacred Heart opted for a pitching change in the fourth, exchanging starter Honn for Kelsey Baldwin. Baldwin finished out the game and preserved Honn’s win by striking out five.

Smithton’s final run came in the fifth inning. Melissa Williams reached first base on an error. The next batter, Jillian Burrows, sent Williams home with a double to left center field. Back-to-back strikeouts by Baldwin ended the inning.

Sacred Heart scored another run in a potentially big seventh inning. Fischer earned her third RBI with a grounder that shot through the gap and into left field. The second walk of the inning loaded the bases for the Gremlins, but Smithton’s Case performed damage control by earning her final strikeout.

Earlier, Northwest (12-0) showed why its ranked No.1 with hot bats and steady defense.

The Lady Mustangs scored early and often to end the game due to the 10-rule in the sixth inning. Shadow Wiskur and Whitney Brown swung big bats for

Northwest. Wiskur earned three RBIs off of a double and a ground ball and Brown sent two runs home with a double.

“I tell the girls I don’t care about hitting... If they can’t score against you they can’t beat you. Our bats are starting to come around, we hit the ball a little bit better today,” Northwest coach Bobby Gillespie said.

Mariah Wiskur earned the shutout for Northwest, improving her record to 10-0.

Northwest and Sacred Heart are scheduled to play in the championship at 6 p.m. today at Centennial Park.