SHELBINA, Mo. - Schuyler County and South Shelby traded runs throughout the opening three innings Thursday night before the Lady Rams found their rhythm at the plate and pulled away for a 17-5 non-conference victory in six innings. Schuyler County scored six runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to turn a one-run contest into a run-rule victory, improving to 4-3 on the season while South Shelby fell to 0-2.
After the first pitch was pushed back an hour because of the 92-degree heat, Schuyler County wasted little time applying pressure. Halle Roberts and Maddox Berry opened the game with consecutive bunt singles, and Roberts scored on a passed ball before South Shelby recorded an out. Berry came home on a groundout by Clara Dabney, while Greta Schoonover later scored on a wild pitch to give the Lady Rams an early 3-0 advantage.
South Shelby quickly showed it would not go away quietly. Janna Livers led off the bottom of the first by driving a pitch over the fence in left-center, and Ava Eleazarraraz later scored from third when Reese Maupin drew a throw to second on a stolen-base attempt. The Lady Birds answered Schuyler County’s three-run opening inning with two runs of their own, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
The two teams continued trading runs over the next two innings. Maybelle Lusher was hit by a pitch and scored on a Berry groundout in the top of the second, but Serenity Rutherford came home in the bottom half to keep South Shelby within one. Dabney scored on a Trinity Gray groundout in the third before the Schuyler County defense made what proved to be one of the most important plays of the game.
With Gracynn Lanpher standing at third, Dabney threw behind the runner and picked her off for the second out of the inning. Maupin followed by launching a solo home run over the center-field fence, but instead of tying the game, the homer only pulled South Shelby within 5-4. Schuyler County head coach Tristan Daniels said the Lady Rams understood that South Shelby’s two home runs had done limited damage because both came with the bases empty.
“I told my pitcher, ‘That’s when you want the home runs, when nobody’s on base, so they don’t hurt as bad,’” Daniels said. “We got lucky on that second home run with getting the pickoff at third. That would’ve tied the game.”
The Lady Rams finally created separation in the fourth after Peyton Rice reached on an infield single and Lusher and Roberts drew back-to-back four-pitch walks. Berry delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded, and Schuyler County continued adding to its lead after South Shelby brought Kinley Maddex into the circle. Jaylee Snowbarger doubled home a run, Dabney followed with an RBI triple and the Lady Rams batted through the order during a six-run inning that stretched their advantage to 11-4.
Daniels said Schuyler County initially had difficulty adjusting to the slower pitching speed, but the Lady Rams became more patient as the game progressed.
“We got off to a slow start tonight,” Daniels said. “Sometimes we get a little too anxious when the pitcher’s not bringing high velocity. I just emphasized that you’ve got to sit back and drive the ball, and it took us about four innings to figure that out. We made it happen, so I was proud of that.”
Madison Severns took over in the circle for Schuyler County in the bottom of the fourth and immediately stopped the back-and-forth scoring. Severns retired the first eight batters she faced and worked consecutive three-up, three-down innings in the fourth and fifth. South Shelby did not record another hit after Maupin’s third-inning home run.
Schuyler County was also retired in order in the fifth before putting together another six-run rally in the sixth. Snowbarger and Dabney opened the inning with hits, Gray drove in a run and Jesslyn Herring followed with an RBI single. Severns added a run-scoring hit before Berry capped the rally by sending a two-run single into center field, extending the Lady Rams’ lead to 17-4.
The Lady Rams finished with 12 hits, led by three apiece from Berry and Snowbarger. Berry scored twice and was credited with four RBIs in the official box score, while Snowbarger drove in two runs and scored twice. Dabney tripled, scored twice and collected two RBIs as Schuyler County received production from throughout its batting order.
“We don’t strike out a ton, which is great,” Daniels said. “I’ve got trust in every single spot in my lineup that they can come up with a hit when we need it.”
South Shelby needed four runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend the game, and its first two batters were retired before Maddex drew a walk and Morgan Wilt was hit by a pitch. A dropped third strike allowed Maddex to score and kept the inning alive, but Severns recorded another strikeout to close out the victory under the run rule.
Rice earned the win after pitching the first three innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs while walking three. Severns did not surrender a hit over three innings of relief, allowing one run and striking out three. Schuyler County also played error-free defense, which Daniels credited as another important part of the Lady Rams’ victory.
“I brag about my middle infield,” Daniels said. “I’d put them up against anybody around. There are some little things here and there that I want to work on defensively, but inning in and inning out, we’re making plays, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Livers and Maupin each homered for South Shelby, while Rutherford added a double. The Lady Birds finished with five hits and stayed within one run through three innings before Schuyler County’s two late rallies created the final margin.
Schuyler County will return home to face Clark County at 5 p.m. Wednesday, while South Shelby will compete in the Monroe City Tournament on Saturday.
(This game recap is presented based upon the coverage of the Hometown Radio Sports Network. Any statistics given should be deemed as unofficial.)
