The West Prairie/Southeastern softball team hung close to Lewistown/Valley/Cuba Thursday before the visiting Miners pulled away in the late innings to take a 16-6 victory over the Cyclones in Prairieland Conference action in Colchester.
The loss dropped WP/SE to 0-8 for the season and 0-5 in the Prairieland. LVC improved to 6-5 overall, 3-1 in league play.
Despite their winless start and taking a 12-2 defeat at the hands of Mendon Unity the day before, WP/SE head coach Cyle Rigg is pleased with the improvement he continues to see with his young team.
“I thought we battled well,” said Rigg. “Last night, we did not compete and that was disappointing. We had a long talk about what it means to compete and what it means to be ready for the game mentally and more focused.”
“(Today), you could tell they were ready from the get-go and focused,” Rigg added.
WP/SE freshman hurler Arianna Soule deserved a better fate in the top of the first as LVC capitalized on a pair of errors and a hit batsman to jump out to a 6-0 lead.
Mollie Cornell drilled a one-out single before Cooper McLaren reached on an error that allowed Cornell to score. Soule plunked Emma Probyn with a pitch before Jade Belless laced an RBI double to make it 2-0.
Braylee Irwin followed with an RBI single and Belless would score on a throwing error to extend the LVC lead to 4-0.
Irwin eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Karstyn Jones and Morgan Patterson capped the scoring output with a single to drive in Macy Eeten who had reached on a single to make it 6-0.
The Cyclones responded with a two-out rally in the bottom of the first against Probyn who got the start for LVC.
Sophomore shortstop Addalyn Stanberry led off with a single and took second on a wild pitch before getting thrown out at third on an attempted steal.
Sophomore Ella Tippey flew out to centerfield for the second out before WP/SE mounted its rally.
Probyn issued consecutive walks to junior designated player Tegan Rigg and senior first baseman Adriana Starks before Soule reached on an infield hit to load the bases.
Sophomore catcher Morgan Simmons walked to force in Rigg to make it 6-1 before senior right fielder Maicyn Shipman lined a bases-clearing double to bring WP/SE to within 6-4.
Sophomore center fielder Sara Shelton followed with a base hit but Shipman was thrown out at home to end the inning.
LVC got two runs back in the second and two more in the fourth to take a 10-4 lead before the Cyclones mounted another scoring threat in the bottom of the fourth.
Probyn hit Shelton with a pitch to lead off the inning and sophomore Kaylee Jackson drew a walk to put runners on first and second with nobody out.
Probyn then struck out Stanberry and Tippey before Rigg reached on an error that allowed Shelton and Jackson to score to bring the Cyclones within 10-6.
LVC added two more runs in the fifth and made it 13-6 in the sixth after an infield groundout by Jaycie Stambaugh drove in Irwin, who had led off with a single before stealing second.
The Miners would put the game away with three runs in the seventh to account for the final score.
Probyn struck out 14 and earned the victory for LVC while Soule was tagged with the loss.
Shipman’s three RBIs along with Stanberry’s 3-for-4 performance led the Cyclones while Irwin paced the Miners’ attack by going 3-for-5 with four runs batted in.
“They got down six early but they had great at bats that inning,” Rigg said referring to the first. “They were battling and fouling off tough pitches and the next thing you know, they got a big hit. I told the girls that’s what you have to do against tough pitching.”
WP/SE’s game against Monmouth-Roseville that was scheduled for last Friday was postponed. The Cyclones were to travel to Peoria Heights for another Prairieland Conference matchup on Monday before returning home to host South Fulton on Tuesday afternoon in Colchester.
