KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - Putnam County twice loaded the bases with one out Monday afternoon, giving the Lady Midgets opportunities to change the direction of their matchup with Highland. Both times, the Lady Cougars turned double plays to protect a shutout that Corinne Brinkley and her defense carried through seven innings.
Highland paired those defensive stops with aggressive baserunning and an offense that scored in five consecutive innings, defeating Putnam County 8-0 at the Truman State University Softball Complex. Brinkley scattered five hits in the complete-game victory, while Putnam County’s Rory Gilworth struck out 14 over six innings in a pitching performance that was stronger than the final margin suggested.
The opening inning offered an early glimpse of both pitchers’ abilities. Brinkley retired Putnam County in order, and Gilworth answered by striking out all three Highland batters she faced. The Lady Midgets produced the game’s first baserunner in the second when Charli Ingersoll drew a walk, but Brinkley kept her from scoring after Graycie Mae Tennill’s sacrifice bunt moved her into scoring position.
Highland broke through in the bottom of the second. Aspen Scifres drew a four-pitch walk, and courtesy runner Addison Fish promptly stole second. Malia Thomas followed with a single to left, with an error allowing Fish to score and Thomas to advance to third. Thomas later crossed the plate when a pitch got away behind the catcher, giving the Lady Cougars a 2-0 advantage.
Putnam County’s first major opportunity came in the third. Riley Jones opened the inning with a single and stole second, and Reagan Smith added a single to put runners at the corners. A walk to Bela Lopez loaded the bases with one out and brought Gilworth to the plate.
Gilworth drove a fly ball into right-center, where Hannah Ritterbusch made the catch. Jones crossed the plate after attempting to tag from third, but Highland appealed that she had left before the catch. Jones was ruled out, completing an inning-ending double play and taking the run off the board.
The Lady Cougars immediately added to their lead in the bottom half. Brinkley reached on a bunt single, stole second and advanced to third on Keera Rothweiler’s sacrifice bunt. A throwing error during Emma Berry’s at-bat allowed Brinkley to score for a 3-0 lead.
Berry followed with a triple, and Ritterbusch walked and stole second to give Highland another chance to extend the margin. Gilworth limited the damage, however, striking out Ali Lundberg and Scifres to strand both runners.
Brinkley answered a leadoff walk to Bryna Hurley in the fourth by striking out the next three batters. Hurley advanced to third during the inning, but the Lady Midgets again could not bring a runner home.
Highland’s largest offensive inning followed. Thomas reached second on a ball into right field, and Calyn Mathes moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt. Alayna Logsdon drew a walk and stole second before a pitch that escaped the catcher brought Thomas home and moved Logsdon to third.
Brinkley then put a ground ball into play on the right side, reaching safely as Logsdon scored. After Brinkley stole second, Rothweiler delivered an RBI triple to push the lead to 6-0. Gilworth again finished the inning with consecutive strikeouts, keeping Highland from adding another run.
Smith collected her second single in the fifth, but Brinkley stranded her. In the bottom half, Lundberg drove a double off the top of the left-field fence and later scored when Mathes reached on a two-out outfield error, extending Highland’s advantage to 7-0.
Putnam County mounted another threat in the sixth. Gilworth and Hurley opened with consecutive singles, and a walk to Graycie Mae Tennill loaded the bases with one out. This time, Highland escaped with a ground-ball double play.
Mira Vice sent a ball back to Brinkley, who threw to Scifres for the force at home. Scifres quickly fired to Lundberg at first to complete the 1-2-3 double play, ending the rally and preserving the shutout.
Highland added its final run in the bottom of the sixth. Berry singled with two outs, stole second and advanced to third on an error. Ritterbusch followed with an RBI single on a shallow pop-up that fell between defenders, making it 8-0.
Brinkley closed the game with a perfect seventh. Logsdon and Rothweiler handled groundouts for the first two outs, and Berry caught Smith’s fly ball in right field to finish the victory.
Berry and Thomas each collected two hits for Highland. Berry tripled and scored once, while Thomas scored twice. Rothweiler added a triple and an RBI, Lundberg doubled and scored, and Brinkley scored twice and drove in a run. The Lady Cougars finished with eight hits and eight stolen bases.
Smith led Putnam County with a 2-for-4 afternoon. Jones, Gilworth and Hurley supplied the Lady Midgets’ other three hits, while Hurley also drew a walk.
Brinkley struck out six and walked four in seven scoreless innings. Gilworth allowed eight hits and three walks, with only three of Highland’s eight runs earned. Putnam County was charged with seven errors, while Highland played error-free defense.
Putnam County fell to 8-10 with the loss. Both teams return to action Tuesday, with Highland hosting South Shelby and Putnam County hosting Gilman City.
(This game recap is presented based upon the coverage of the Hometown Radio Sports Network. Any statistics given should be deemed as unofficial.)
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