MHS softball: Warriors split with Trojans
Sports reporter
The Marion High School softball team wanted to reward its fans for braving a bitter cold doubleheader Thursday against Hillsboro.
And they did just that.
Freshman Jordan Harper's two-out, RBI-single in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday gave MHS (2-4) a 7-6 victory after the team trailed 6-2 heading into the inning.
The Warriors avoided a sweep at the hand of the Trojans after losing the first game, 11-0.
Kristin Waner (2-1) picked up the victory on the mound after throwing a complete game.
The senior yielded nine hits, walked just one, and struck out a batter.
She helped herself out at the plate as well, singling in two runs to tie the game before Harper had her hit.
Waner, who is hitting .421 this season, was facing Hillsboro senior Jenesa Klose, who had just thrown a shutout in the first game.
"I wasn't even thinking about the cold," Waner said. "I've hit against her a lot, so I was ready."
Harper had two hits to go along with the game-winning RBI.
"Yeah, I was nervous," she said after the game. "But I got my pitch, so I wasn't too worried about it."
So did a few other Warriors that inning who helped kick-start the winning rally.
Emily Rogers started the rally with her third hit in three at bats to lead off the inning.
Six Warriors combined for 12 hits in the game.
Rogers was 3-3 with a run scored, Harper and Waner 2-4, Lanna Carroll 1-3 with a double, and Alex Cain and Lauren Helmer were both 2-3 with two runs scored.
Waner allowed nine hits and six runs, and recorded one strikeout on the mound.
The first game was dominated by Hillsboro from the start.
The Trojans scored three in the first and four in the second to jump ahead 7-0.
The Warriors defense didn't help, committing five errors to Hillsboro's zero.
MHS managed just four hits, one by Brooke Johnson and Shelby Percell, and two by Helmer, in the game.
Cain pitched for the Warriors and struck out four in the loss.
Smoky Valley
It was another split April 1 for the Warriors, downing Smoky Valley 8-7 in game one, and losing 7-6 in eight innings in game two.
Cain notched her first victory of the season on the mound in game one, going the distance while striking out seven and walking four.
She also was 1-1 at the plate with three walks.
Lauren Helmer, who leads the team with a .526 batting average, was 4-5 with a triple and a run scored in the victory.
Shelby and Austin Percell and Johnson each had one hit, while Tacy Taylor and Waner contributed with a 2-4 night.
Trailing 5-0 after the second inning, MHS scored five in the third, and two in the fifth to take a 7-5 lead.
After Smoky Valley cut the lead to 7-6 in the sixth, MHS added a much-needed insurance run in the seventh, and held on by one.
As a team the Warriors had 11 hits, and committed just one error.
The offense was there again in game two for Marion with six runs and 10 hits, but the Vikings had 11 hits and seven runs of their own.
The final came in the bottom of the eighth after MHS scored two in the top of the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
Waner started the game on the mound for Marion, and Cain finished the final three innings.
All but one player had at least one hit, while Waner and Shelby Percell each had two.
The Warriors were active on the basepaths as well, collecting 19 stolen bases in the doubleheader.
