Owensville would score in the third inning, making the score 3-0 going into the fourth. The Dutchgirls were on fire in the fourth inning, adding five more runs to the scoreboard. Cortanie Gale hit a solid ball to center field and chugged her way to second base; however, she would be left stranded, and the Shamrocks would go scoreless. The Shamrocks and the Dutchgirls both held each other in the fifth inning, making the score 8-0. Owensville would add five more to the board, making it 13-0 in the top of the sixth.
The Shamrocks would not give up here, though. The first batter, Carlie Steinbeck, was walked to first. The next batter, Lindsey Nixon, hit a blooper to the pitcher but sped down the first base line to be called safe after an overthrow. This would would put runners in scoring position on first and third. Steinbeck would be the first to score for the Shamrocks on a wild pitch, which would allow Lindsey to reach third. Cortanie hit the ball in the infield for an out, but it allowed Lindsey to score, earning Cortanie an RBI.
The Shamrocks end up losing to the Dutchgirls 13-2. They will get a redemption game Tuesday, September 23, at New Haven’s Lions Field. Coach Tim Scheer said,“We did some good things, but we still need to be confident at the plate. We cannot watch the third strike go by.”
The Shamrocks immediately played another game, this time playing Father Tolton Catholic. Father Tolton came out strong against Shamrocks’ pitcher Emily Scheer, scoring three runs in the first inning. The Shamrocks first three batters couldn’t seem to handle Father Tolton’s pitcher: all three got out. In the second inning, Father Tolton exploded, scoring nine runs. The Shamrocks wouldn’t give up. Freshman Emily Scheer took a swing at the first pitch and hit a beautiful out of the park homerun! Once Scheer arrived at the bench after running her bases, she sat down, took a drink, and with a huge smile said, “That felt AMAZING!”
Lindsey NIxon would keep the momentum going and hit a fastball out to right field, to land her on second base. Nixon then stole third and made it home on a wild pitch, adding another run to the board.
Both teams would go scoreless in the third inning. Tolton added two more to the boards in the fourth and would hold the Shamrocks. Cortanie Gale made a beautiful play, saving a run for scoring. “It was exciting when I dove to tag the girl out at home after I missed the other girl who came home. I learned not to beat yourself up over one play. I knew what I did wrong and was able to fix that,” quotes catcher Cortanie Gale.
To start the fifth inning, Tolton led the Shamrocks 14-2. The Shamrocks would not settle for this. The Shamrocks got down to business and added five more runs to cut Father Tolton's lead to 14-7. Both teams would add one more run to the scoreboard, making the final score 15-8. Though New Haven fell short in the tournament they made improvements in their batting and fielding which will help them prepare for districts which begins October 8. -by Molly Munsinger