RIVERSIDE, Mo. — Park Hill South sophomore pitcher Olivia Kinsey remained confident in an extra-inning victory, even after a seventh-inning rally from rival Park Hill on Monday at Park Hill South High School.
The Trojans scored two in the top of the seventh to force an extra frame, but the Panthers picked up the 4-3 win with a walk-off single from Erika Lutgen in the bottom of the eighth. Kinsey led the inning off with a walk. She stole second and advanced to third when the throw bounced into center field.
Lutgen lined a single up the middle to complete the rally without an out.
“I was happy to come in and be done,” Kinsey said. “I think we knew we were (going to win). No one was really down. We just had to pick it up that last inning, and we knew we would be done.”
Park Hill plated both seventh-inning runs on a passed ball.
Haylie Ridenhour singled with two outs, and Lexie Santoyo followed with a walk. Fran Kirn loaded the bases to put the winning run aboard. That’s when a pitch got past Park Hill South catcher Riley Lane.
Ridenhour easily scored, and Santoyo came home all the way from second, never breaking stride when she saw no one covering home plate while Riley retrieved the ball.
“You don’t see that too often,” Park Hill coach Stuart Sullinger said. “Lexie Santoya, she … had a good lead and made a great turn around third. I think we both noticed at the same time no one was covering home. She never even hesitated. She just kept on rolling. It worked out well. She’s a very ‘headsy’ runner, but that was great heads-up ball to get us back to even.”
Kinsey did more than score the winning run in the eighth.
The right-hander started in the circle and went the distance, striking out 14 while allowing only four hits.
“I knew she would be a good (player), and she was going to be a good pitcher,” Park Hill South coach Josh Walker said. “But, she’s a sophomore, very inconsistent with the control. She had a couple four-pitch walks and too many walks in general, but I can’t complain.”
Lutgen collected an RBI-double in the third inning to push Park Hill South’s lead to 3-0 in addition to her game-winning hit. She finished 2-for-4 from the plate.
Still, the Panthers stranded seven runners, and Park Hill slowly came back to force extra innings.
West Platte 5, DeKalb 1
Abbie Summers allowed a run – unearned — and the Bluejays defeated DeKalb on Sept. 8 at West Platte High School in Weston, Mo.
The Florida International commit nearly pitched her fourth no-hitter of the young season, but an RBI double after an error drove in the Tigers’ lone run. Jessica Lintner added a double in the fifth to help kickstart West Platte’s stagnant offense.
Summers added an RBI-triple and went 3-for-4 to help her own cause.
Platte County 15, Grandview 2, 5 innings
The Pirates took an emphatic road win at Grandview on Sept. 5. The team batted around in the second inning, plating seven runs. The Pirates added two more in the fourth and three in the fifth to force the mercy rule. Lou Menninger finished 4-for-4 on the day including two RBIs, three runs, a triple and two doubles.
Mallory Stoner picked up the win for the Pirates, going four innings and allowing two hits. Lexi Hanson finished 2-for-2 and Jesse Hoover added a 2-for-3 effort, including two doubles and two RBIs.
Platte County 8, Raytown South 0
The Pirates picked up another win Sept. 2 after posting an eight-spot in the third inning. Seven different Pirates collected RBIs in the frame, including two from Stoner. Lexi Hanson and Lindsey Bogart recorded RBI triples and Lou Menninger added an RBI double.
Stoner and Linley Weicken combined for a two-hit shutout.
Park Hill 14, Raytown South 1, 5 innings
Park Hill earned its first win of the season Sept. 4.
The Trojans plated three in the first, six in the second and four in the third.