~EAST PRAIRIE
After a strong showing in the Lady Devil Classic over the weekend, East Prairie's softball team took another step forward on Tuesday, giving Kelly all it wanted in a 5-2 loss.
"The girls are gaining confidence," said East Prairie head coach Jerry Myrick. "We want to have the attitude that we can play with anybody, and I think we've gotten to the point where we can. We've still got a ways to go, but we're happy with the progress and proud of each other."
Both teams pitched standout sophomores, with Dana Essner throwing for Kelly and Meghan Massey pitching for the Lady Eagles.
Essner picked up the win, allowing two earned runs and five hits with 11 strikeouts.
"East Prairie has a good team, and they've got a good pitcher," said Kelly coach Melanie Heuring. "I thought we played real well. We capitalized on a couple of errors and hit when we needed to."
Against arguably the best offense in the region, Massey allowed eight hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
"Meghan is a tough, tough kid," said Myrick. "She works hard everyday and will never back down. This is her first year of pitching and she's got a very bright future."
Kelly was led at the plate by Natalie Lewer and Cara Menz, who both batted 2-for-3. The Lady Hawks also saw hits from Sara Essner, Dana Essner, Ashley Kern, and Ashley Rockett.
Michelle Bone paced East Prairie at the pate, batting 2-for-3. Other hits came from LeAnne Hedges, LeAnne Adkisson, and Jennifer Britt.
East Prairie (5-6) will travel to Scott Central on Thursday.
Kelly (8-1) will host Twin Rivers today at 4 p.m., then face Chaffee on Thursday.
"We've also got our tournament on Saturday, so it's going to be a tough week for us," said Heuring.
Scott City 23, Charleston 21
CHARLESTON - In a game that saw over 30 walks and 44 runs in seven innings, Scott City's softball team defeated Charleston, 23-21.
"Both coaches felt the strike zone was awful tight," said Charleston coach Randy Allstun. "It was disheartening for both pitchers because there were so many walks. It makes it hard all the way around, especially having a score of 23-21."
Sarah Duenne was charged with the loss while Amick picked up the win for the Lady Rams. Rikki Wallace led Charleston hitters, batting 3-for-4 with a home run.
"We made seven or eight errors that should not have happened," said Allstun. "We would've won the game if we wouldn't have had the errors, because we out-hit them."
Charleston (6-7) will travel to Scott Central today for a 4 p.m. game.
"Last year Scott City just smoked us," said Allstun. "I feel a lot better about this year's game. We're much more solid, and if we wouldn't have made the errors, we would have won this game."