By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD, MO – Fueled by timely defensive plays and a late-inning scoring barrage, Class 1 No. 5 Lockwood beat No. 3 Oak Ridge 12-4 in Tuesday’s Class 1 state semifinal at Meador Park.
Tigers’ pitcher Kallie Griffin scattered 10 hits, walked 5 and struck out 12 in the matchup.
The sophomore right-hander’s afternoon in the circle got off to a rough start, as Oak Ridge leadoff hitter Kaelyn Deckard sent the very first pitch of the inning over the left-center fence.
Neither Griffin nor Lockwood head coach Bobbi Abbiatti were phased by the abrupt start.
“I have confidence in her,” Abbiatti said. “If she throws one like that, I have confidence bringing it right back in. She stays focused, and she hits her spots, so there’s no doubt there. She has a strong arm – she’s pitched all year for us – so we know she’s gonna be there every game for us.”
Griffin was able to quickly refocus in the circle and credited teammates for rallying behind her, despite the shaky start.
“I was comfortable to be in that game,” Griffin said. “I had confidence – I knew my team was behind me throughout the whole game. I knew they had my back. They could come hit for me. I gave up that one and I was like, my team’s got my back. I can do this. So that really helps.”
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Also working in Griffin’s favor was the fact Lockwood also got out to a quick start in the contest with three runs in the top half of the first.
Asa Lasater scored from third on a passed ball, Reese Whitesell scored on a fielder’s choice then Mekenzi Weimer drove in Griffin with an RBI single.
Lasater was particularly lethal at the plate for the Tigers.
The freshman shortstop had a pair of triples, a double and two RBI on the day to help pace the young Lockwood lineup.
“That’s just, like, my best hitting game by far,” Lasater said. “You know, I struggled all season, so we worked a lot the last couple weeks, just getting timing, getting out in front, working out the machine, lots of teamwork with Bobbi.”
Lasater was also quick to praise Griffin’s performance in the circle.
“As far as Kallie’s pitching, I never worry,” Lasater said. “When Kallie’s pitching, it doesn’t matter what their stats are. She’s gonna strike them out, and if they get a hit, it’s not gonna be, like, a good hit. My job at shortstop is so easy because of Kallie. So I feel like, you know, I’m just there for mortal support most of the time.”
The Lasater girls put another pair of runs on the board for Lockwood in the second inning to push the score to 5-1, as Peyton Lasater’s double was followed up by Asa Lasater’s RBI triple and run-scoring error on the same play.
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Oak Ridge and Lockwood each put up a run in the fourth inning.
Asa Lasater’s RBI double scored Molly Hedeman for the Tigers, and Deckard scored her second run of the game, stealing home on a passed ball.
Lockwood was finally able to put the game away late with four runs in the sixth and another two in the seventh.
For Abbiatti, the future is not only bright with this team full of freshman and sophomore starters – it’s right now.
“We have one senior, no juniors and the rest are all freshmen and sophomores,” Abbiatti said. “So it’s amazing that we made it this far this year, and that they’re all coming back next year. So I mean, it’s pretty sweet.”
Up next for Lockwood (22-6) is a Class 1 state title matchup Wednesday against No. 1 Concordia. The 24-6 Orioles downed Bernie 10-2 in the other semifinal.
