SALISBURY, Mo. - The North Shelby Lady Raiders are Lewis & Clark Conference champions. With the outright title on the line Wednesday evening, North Shelby edged Salisbury 3-2 to capture its first softball championship since joining the conference, adding another milestone to an already memorable week for the school.
Just two days after North Shelby’s girls golf team earned the school’s first Lewis & Clark championship in any sport, the Lady Raiders brought home another. Wednesday’s softball victory secured a perfect 6-0 conference finish, extended North Shelby’s winning streak to 21 games and improved its overall record to 22-2.
Both teams entered the evening unbeaten in conference play at 5-0, setting up a winner-take-all championship matchup. North Shelby answered with a dominant pitching performance from Clara Uhlmeyer, a perfect night at the plate from Kalli Parrish and three RBIs from Lauryn Thrasher, then made the defensive plays needed to protect a one-run lead.
Uhlmeyer struck out 16 and walked none in seven innings, allowing just one hit and two unearned runs. Salisbury’s Quynn Fischer kept the Lady Panthers within striking distance throughout, finishing with 10 strikeouts, no walks and five hits allowed. Salisbury fell to 18-5 overall and finished conference play at 5-1.
North Shelby opened the scoring in the first inning. Uhlmeyer and Parrish delivered consecutive singles before Thrasher drove in Uhlmeyer with a groundout to second base. Salisbury answered in the bottom half when Lydea Britt reached on a dropped third strike, stole second and third, and scored on a throwing error.
Uhlmeyer struck out the side in both the second and third innings, keeping Salisbury hitless while Fischer held the Lady Raiders in check. North Shelby regained the lead in the fourth when Parrish doubled to right-center and advanced to third on the throw. Thrasher followed with another RBI groundout to second, putting the Lady Raiders ahead 2-1.
Salisbury tied the game again in the fifth. Gabby Gordon reached on an outfield error and scored when a throw to third on her stolen-base attempt sailed into left field. The Lady Panthers had yet to record a hit, but had capitalized on North Shelby’s miscues to pull even at 2-2.
The Lady Raiders responded in the sixth. Parrish collected her third hit of the evening, and Thrasher followed with an RBI double to left, scoring Parrish for a 3-2 advantage. Thrasher was retired trying to stretch the hit into a triple, but her third RBI of the game gave North Shelby the run that ultimately secured the championship.
Salisbury threatened in the bottom half when Karlie Schiltz led off with a single to break up Uhlmeyer’s no-hit bid. Schiltz advanced to second on Britt’s sacrifice bunt and stole third, putting the tying run just 60 feet from home.
Freshman third baseman Emmalou Rife delivered one of the night’s biggest plays on a bunt by Natalie Biere. Rather than throwing to first, Rife fielded the ball and tagged Schiltz as she broke toward home, cutting down the potential tying run. Sadie Gander then caught a line drive to end the inning with another Salisbury runner in scoring position.
Fischer struck out the side in the top of the seventh, giving Salisbury one final opportunity. Uhlmeyer closed the door, retiring Anna Peiffer before striking out Brynn Bachtel and Morgan Sellers to finish the victory and clinch the outright Lewis & Clark Conference championship.
North Shelby coach Dan Uhlmeyer praised the Lady Raiders for responding together when mistakes threatened to swing the game.
“Tonight we did. We battled back. We stayed in. We kept our heads in,” Uhlmeyer said. “I am super proud of the girls for battling that team as a team right there against a very good Salisbury team.”
The coach also credited his juniors for helping the team regroup during the game, providing leadership without waiting for direction from the dugout.
“For my juniors to step up and take control of the situation, I didn’t have to do it,” he said. “It means a lot more to the rest of the girls coming from the leaders of the team.”
Parrish finished 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Thrasher went 1-for-3 with a double and drove in all three North Shelby runs, while Clara Uhlmeyer added a single and scored once. Schiltz recorded Salisbury’s only hit, with Britt and Gordon scoring the Lady Panthers’ runs.
“She’s seeing the ball well. She’s taking a great approach at the plate,” Dan Uhlmeyer said of Parrish. “She’s not trying to hit the ball out of the park. She’s hitting the ball hard as line drives, and good things are happening.”
North Shelby finished with three runs on five hits and committed three errors. Salisbury scored twice on one hit and committed one error. In a championship game decided by the smallest of margins, the Lady Raiders combined timely hitting, strong pitching and crucial defensive stops to finish their conference schedule unbeaten.
The celebration also carried special meaning for Gander and Alexis Browning, who compete in both softball and girls golf. After helping North Shelby claim the Lewis & Clark girls golf championship Monday, the two were part of another title-winning effort Wednesday. In three days, North Shelby went from pursuing its first championship in its new conference to celebrating two, with Gander and Browning sharing in both accomplishments.
The Lady Raiders will travel to Harrisburg on Monday for their final regular-season game before district play. North Shelby has more goals ahead, but heads into that stretch with a conference championship secured and a 21-game winning streak behind it.
“When Monday night’s over after the Harrisburg game, everybody goes back to a zero-zero record,” Uhlmeyer said. “Second season starts.”
(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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