BOWLING GREEN — In the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Cats were down by one and had runners in scoring position when Jade Meier strode to the plate and belted the first pitch down the third base line to score two and defeat Palmyra 9-8 on Thursday, Sept. 19.
The match was the KJFM Eagle 102 Game of the Week and featured streaming video that is archived at www.kjfmeagle102.net.
Meier said the pitch looked good.
“It was an inside pitch and that’s ones I’d been fouling off the whole game.”
She added that getting the timing down on Palmyra pitcher Brooke Lawson had taken a while for the team.
“You’ve got to find a way,” she told KJFM following the dramatic victory. “We overcome adversity.”
Coach Dean Streed said the game showed the team’s resiliency. Palmyra’s second batter Megan Stone blasted a solo shot over the fence in the first inning. The Lady Cats bounced back in the bottom of the frame with two runs on a double by Haylee Chandler.
The Lady Panthers scored four in the top of the second and led the rest of the way until Meier’s game-winning double.“We could have played better. We shot ourselves in the foot quite a bit,” Streed explained.
He noted that Lawson had good speed and good movement but the girls were instructed to just find a way to get on base.
Streed added that the Lady Cats are finding a new level.
“When we find that higher gear that takes more engagement, more focus, more energy – we’re going to be tough to beat.”
He said the team didn’t play a full set of innings against Palmyra so there is still work to be done.
The victory lifts the Lady Cats to 10-3 for the season. Streed pointed out that the game was also a success in that he discovered better communication with pitcher Tanner Turner. She went all seven innings, surrendering eight runs on 10 hits, walked four and struck out nine batters.
Lydia Althoff started the game for Palmyra and went just one and two-thirds innings for the Lady Panthers before being replaced by Lawson. Althoff allowed four runs on two hits, walked five and struck out two. Lawson was tagged with the loss going five and one-third innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out 10.
After taking a 5-1 lead in the top of the second, Bowling Green answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.
Kennedy Grimsley and Turner were each hit by pitches and Morgen Billings walked to load the bases with one out. Grace Lawson walked Grace Dameron and Chandler to plate the two runs.
The Lady Panthers scored two more runs in the top of the third to lead 7-4. Bowling Green responded in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs.
Billings walked to lead off the inning and Dameron reached on an error. Chandler’s RBI single scored Billings and a single by Madeline Norton plated Brylie Sparks (running for the catcher).
Palmyra tacked one more run on in the top of the sixth. The Lady Cats trailed 8-6 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Grace Deters led off with a single and scored on a single by Turner. Billings crushed a double to put Turner and herself in scoring position for the rope by Meier to win the game.
The Lady Cats will travel to Wentzville-Liberty on Saturday before hosting Silex on Tuesday.
** Stay tuned to KJFM Eagle 102 for the most complete coverage of area sports and watch for games featuring streaming video online at www.kjfmeagle102.net.