Redskins rally past 'Riders

ST. HENRY - St. Henry's triple play in the top of the seventh kept St. Marys from adding insurance runs, and then a few clutch hits in the bottom half gave the Redskins a 5-4 victory on Monday in non-league action at Wally Post Athletic Complex.

St. Marys led 4-3 entering the seventh inning and had runners on second and third with two outs. But a bizarre 5-3-4-2 triple play ended the inning, and St. Henry rode that momentum into its next at-bat.

Jacey King launched the comeback with an infield single. King moved to second on a sac bunt by Makenzie Brookhart and then rolled to third on a passed ball, setting up an RBI infield single by Alexis Ontrop. Moments later, pinch hitter Alyssa Heitkamp won the game for St. Henry - driving a two-out double over the center fielder's head to score Ontrop.

"It was ugly, but we came back and we didn't give up," St. Henry coach Kylie Huelsman said. "We definitely didn't start off strong and made a lot of errors.

"The triple play definitely gave us a lot of momentum and then two girls came off the bench and hit really well and had really good at-bats," Huelsman added. "That's what we need. We need people to step up and help us whenever we're not playing so hot."

St. Marys led 2-0 after three innings. In the second, Josalyn Schamp reached base safely after a wild pitch on a strike three. Schmap was injured on the play and replaced on base by Leigha Gilbert, who eventually came around to score on an error.

The Roughriders' Kylie Lauth was walked by Ontrop to begin the third inning. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jennifer Lauth and then went to third on a single by Allison Langsdon. Kylie Lauth scored on a wild pitch.

St. Henry tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of three on back-to-back RBI singles by Cara Brockman and Jacey King.

After the Redskins stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, St. Marys plated two runs in the fifth. Kylie Lauth reached base on a walk and on a triple by Langsdon, who later scored on a fielder's choice by Madi Howell.

King began the bottom of the fifth with a single and came around to score later on Ontrop's double, pulling St. Henry within a run at 4-3.

Jennifer Lauth (walk) and Langsdon (single) reached base safely in the top of the seventh and moved into scoring position on an outfield error. Then came the game-saving triple play.

Third baseman Brookhart fielded Howell's grounder, looked the runner back at third and fired to first for one out. King, the first baseman, noticed Langsdon had taken off for third with the runner at third staying put. Langsdon made an attempt to get back to second but second baseman Heather Heitkamp tagged her out. While that was happening, Lauth made a break for home but Heitkamp's throw to Kendra Rose was in time for the final out.

"We had people in scoring position and we didn't execute," St. Marys coach Sue Grothause said. "We didn't execute bunts. We didn't execute when we had runners on second and third a couple times, and those things usually come back and get you.

"We didn't run the bases very well," she added. "You don't see a triple play happen very often. I told my runner to stay here and the runner at second decided to come here. It put her in a bind so she decided to go. The kids just have to learn from it."

Langsdon had three hits to lead St. Marys. Howell was charged the loss on the hill for the Roughriders, who travel today to face Bath.

King led St. Henry with three hits and scored twice. Ontrop, the game's winning pitcher, added two hits. The Redskins travel today to play Russia.