QUEEN CITY, Mo. - Clara Uhlmeyer reached a career milestone Thursday night while helping North Shelby take its first step through the district tournament. The junior struck out 14 and allowed just one hit as the top-seeded Lady Raiders defeated Brashear 12-0 in five innings in the Class 1, District 5 quarterfinals at Schuyler County High School.
Uhlmeyer entered the night needing 10 strikeouts to reach 500 for her high school career and got there in the fourth inning. North Shelby backed her with 11 hits, including a three-run home run from freshman Emmalou Rife, to improve to 23-3 and advance to Saturday’s noon semifinal against Scotland County.
The Lady Raiders established themselves on both sides of the ball in the opening inning. Uhlmeyer struck out all three Brashear hitters she faced, then North Shelby put together a four-run bottom half, doing all of its scoring with two outs.
Uhlmeyer singled with one away, and courtesy runner Sophia Luckett moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. After Brashear recorded the second out, Lauryn Thrasher delivered a single up the middle to bring Luckett home for the first run. Alexis Browning followed with another single, setting the table for Rife, who drove a three-run home run over the left-field fence to give North Shelby a 4-0 advantage.
Kennedy Gray took over in the circle for Brashear to begin the second inning and retired the first two hitters she faced. The Lady Raiders still found a way to add to their lead, as Sadie Gander reached on an error, stole second and advanced to third when the throw got away. Uhlmeyer then sent a ball into center field for a run-scoring triple and came home herself on an error to make it 6-0.
Brashear put together its best scoring opportunity in the top of the third. Jasmin Roberts worked through a full-count at-bat before singling between third base and shortstop for the Lady Tigers’ first hit. A pair of wild pitches moved pinch runner Katryna Youngman to third, and Grace Baker drew a walk to give Brashear runners at the corners with nobody out.
Kennedy Henderson, running for Baker, moved to second to put two runners in scoring position. Uhlmeyer answered by striking out Aubree Newland, Audrey Erwin and Carli Clark in succession, leaving both runners stranded and keeping the shutout intact.
North Shelby followed that escape with its biggest inning of the night. Browning singled with one out in the third and came around to score when Rife reached on an errant throw. Taylin Prange added a single, and another Brashear error allowed Rife to score and moved two more runners into scoring position.
Kinsley Hinshaw then placed a bunt for a single to load the bases. Gray picked up a strikeout for the second out, but Uhlmeyer followed with a bases-clearing hit, bringing home Prange, Mackenzie Wiedeman and Hinshaw to stretch the lead to 11-0.
With eight strikeouts through three innings, Uhlmeyer returned to the circle in the fourth within reach of her milestone. She struck out Lillie McKim to open the inning, then caught Gray looking for her 10th strikeout of the game and the 500th of her career. The crowd acknowledged the accomplishment as Uhlmeyer smiled in the circle before returning to work and striking out Galeya Huston to finish the inning.
Erwin provided a defensive highlight for Brashear in the bottom of the fourth, making a leaping catch near the left-field fence to take a hit away from Thrasher. Browning followed with her third single of the night, stole second and third, and scored on Prange’s two-out single to left for North Shelby’s final run.
Uhlmeyer struck out the side again in the fifth to finish the one-hit shutout. She walked one and threw 51 of her 77 pitches for strikes, while North Shelby played error-free defense behind her.
At the plate, Uhlmeyer finished 3-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs. Browning also went 3-for-3, scored three times and stole three bases. Rife drove in three runs with her first-inning home run and scored twice, while Prange collected two hits and an RBI. Thrasher added a hit and an RBI, and Hinshaw contributed a single and a run scored.
Erwin took the loss for Brashear, allowing four runs on four hits in the opening inning. Gray worked the final three innings, allowing eight runs, two earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Roberts recorded the Lady Tigers’ lone hit as Brashear finished its season at 5-10, closing the high school softball careers of seniors McKim and Huston.
(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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