Willard, Mo. (OzarksSportsZone.com) -- The Kickapoo High School softball team was slow out of the gate in its season opener at Willard Thursday night. The Lady Chiefs’ best solution was to put the ball in play.
Kickapoo broke a 3-all tie in the top of the 10th inning, scoring three runs off a pair of Willard errors to win 6-4. Kickapoo scored six unanswered runs after trailing 3-0 entering the top of the fifth.
“Eventually, the ball will fall,” said Kickapoo coach Tara Griffin. “So just keep putting it in play and good things will happen.”
In the top of the 10th, Lady Chiefs senior Stephanie Weidner hit a grounder that was misplayed by the Willard shortstop and allowed catcher Taylor Hickerson to score the go-ahead run.
Kickapoo’s next batter, McKenna Hightower, hit a long fly ball to right that bounced in and out of the Willard outfielder’s glove.
The Lady Chiefs scored two runs in the sixth, one on an RBI triple by Kylie Wilson and another on a sacrifice bunt from Brittany Cromer. The back-to-back RBIs knocked Willard starting pitcher Allison Davis out of the game in favor of reliever Miki Andrus.
Kickapoo tied the game in the seventh when Willard botched a run-down attempt after Mayci Hicks was caught between third and home.
Lady Chiefs senior and starting pitcher Lyndsey Johns went all 10 innings. She has started since her freshman year.
“I can always count on her to throw strikes and her hitting is coming along,” Griffin said.
Wilson led Kickapoo with three hits. Tori Thomas had four hits for Willard, including a pair of RBI singles. Her run in the second put the Lady Tigers up 1-0.
Willard dropped to 1-1 while Kickapoo moved to 1-0. The Lady Tigers play Tuesday at Bolivar; Kickapoo hosts Joplin (at Cooper) on Monday.
“That’s a good way to open the season,” Griffin said. “They stayed positive the whole time, they never hung their heads. They made some outstanding plays the whole game and put the bat on the ball.”
KPOO AB R H BI WHS AB R H BI
Mayci Hicks 4 1 0 0 Hanna Hendrix 4 1 2 0
Player Vandiver 5 0 1 1 Olivia Rhoten 4 0 0 0
Player Johns 5 0 0 0 Allison Davis 5 1 2 0
Player Hickerson 5 2 0 0 Miki Andrus 5 0 1 0
Player Wilson 4 2 3 1 Tori Thomas 5 1 4 2
Player Cromer 3 0 0 1 Maddi Reynolds 5 1 1 0
Player Weidner 4 1 0 1 Krystine Sechler 5 0 0 1
Player Hightower 5 0 1 2 Tessa Peterson 4 0 0 0
Player Hilton 5 0 1 0 Megan Graham 1 0 0 0
Hannah Brooks 5 0 2 1
TOTALS 40 6 6 6 TOTALS 43 4 12 4
KPOO 000 002 100 3 -- 6
WHS 011 100 000 1 -- 4
LOB--KPOO 10, WHS 13. ERR--Hanna Hendrix, Hannah Brooks (2),
Tessa Peterson, Krystine Sechler (2), Olivia Rhoten (2),
Allison Davis. 2B--Player Wilson (3), Maddi Reynolds,
Allison Davis. SACB--Mayci Hicks, Player Weidner, Player
Cromer (2). SB--Mayci Hicks, Player Hickerson, Hanna
Hendrix.
KPOO IP H R ER BB SO HR
WHS
Allison Davis 5 1-3 6 2 1 1 1 0
Miki Andrus 4 2-3 0 4 0 1 2 0
WP--Allison Davis. SO--Player Hilton, Player Vandiver (2),
Hannah Brooks (2), Tessa Peterson (3), Olivia Rhoten (2).
BB--Mayci Hicks, Player Wilson, Hanna Hendrix, Olivia Rhoten
(2).
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