The Lady Tigers battled to a close 3-2 win vs. Chillicothe on Sept. 11. Photos by Tim Harlan — see more at Harlan’s ESHS Activity Shots.
EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. – The Lady Tigers caught fire at the plate last week, torching opponents with a .412 team average, seven home runs, and averaged more than nine runs per game on their way to a 6-2 record, including a strong showing at the Ozark Fall Festival.
The week started with a 12-2 home win Sept. 8 against the Oak Park Oakies. Seniors Willa Schreier, Josie Casler, Keira Romazon, and Kayden Rogers each collected two hits in the victory. Rogers earned the win in the circle, going five innings and allowing two runs on six hits while striking out five.
The offense stayed hot the next night in a 16-0 shutout of the North Kansas City Hornets at Macken Park. Schreier led the way with four hits and six RBIs, including her first home run of the season. Senior Kinley Rogers and sophomore Courtney James each added three hits. James picked up the win, going four innings while allowing just one hit and striking out nine.
On Sept. 11, the Chillicothe Hornets traveled to Excelsior Springs for a potential district preview. The teams battled to a 2-2 tie after seven innings before Casler ended the game with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win for the Lady Tigers. Casler drove in two runs, while Schreier added an RBI. Romazon earned the win in the circle, throwing all nine innings and allowing two runs on five hits with three strikeouts.
The Lady Tigers opened the Ozark Fall Festival against the Marquette Mustangs, earning a 6-3 win. A five-run fourth inning pushed them ahead for good. Casler and sophomore Haylee Ray each had two hits, with Casler driving in three runs. Rogers earned the complete-game win, allowing three runs on five hits.
The next victims in the tournament were the Carthage Tigers, who fell 10-6. A five-run first inning and a four-run third helped secure the victory. Senior Bella Loeffert, along with Schreier, Romazon, Casler, and Kinley Rogers, each had two hits. Rogers also hit her first home run of the season. James pitched six innings, giving up just two earned runs and striking out three.
The third game of the tournament saw the Lady Tigers drop a heartbreaking 9-8 loss to Ozark. Excelsior Springs led 6-2 and later 8-6 but couldn’t hold on in the final inning. Ray, Kinley Rogers, and Schreier each homered in the loss. Romazon started in the circle, going 2 2/3 innings and allowing six runs on seven hits. Rogers took the loss in relief, giving up three runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings.
In the fourth game, the Lady Tigers rolled to a 16-0 win over Locust Grove, Oklahoma, behind an 11-run first inning. Rogers hit her second home run of the season, while the team racked up 16 hits. James earned the win, allowing just two hits and striking out two.
The tournament concluded with a 7-3 loss to the Nixa Eagles. Nixa plated four runs in the first inning and three in the second, a deficit the Lady Tigers couldn’t overcome. Loeffert had two hits and an RBI, but it wasn’t enough. Rogers took the loss, giving up seven runs on seven hits in two innings. Romazon finished the game, holding Nixa to three hits over four innings.
The Lady Tigers now turn their attention to another busy slate of games. They host Central (St. Joseph) (2-5) on Sept. 15 before welcoming undefeated Winnetonka (9-0) the next day. On Sept. 18, they travel to face rival Kearney (12-3), followed by a triangular at Lawson on Sept. 20 against the host Cardinals (8-2) and Sherwood (1-9).
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