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Fort Scott girls finish off Pittsburg
FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School's softball team finished up it's storm-delayed softball doubleheader just in time here Friday night as the Tigers defeated Pittsburg, Kan. 3-0 in the second game of Southeast Kansas League play at Fisher Park.
Just as the game came to a close, it started raining. At least this time, it wasn't worse.
This game was suspended in the top of the third inning Thursday night with the Tigers holding a 1-0 lead when the storm sirens went off. Fort Scott -- winners of 20 straight games going back to last season -- took the first game on Thursday over their rivals, the Purple Dragons, by the same 3-0 score.
Before the storm hit on Thursday, Fort Scott staked a 1-0 lead when Heather Davis scored after stealing third and moving on home when the catcher's throw went into left field.
The Tigers (2-0 SEK, 4-0 overall) added two in the bottom of the fourth. Crystal Colvin led off the inning with a triple to right field and Davis drove her in with a single. Davis stole second and scored when Erin Floyd tripled to left-center.
Davis and her defense then took care of the Dragons' offense. The senior hurler allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven and her teammates came up with another error-free game. The Tigers have committed just three errors all season.
"We're playing solid defense," Fort Scott head coach Karen Curran said. "Even when something doesn't go perfectly smooth, we still stick with it, communicate and go to the next play. They're comfortable with one another. They have all these games under their belt and it shows."
Even though Davis didn't have one of her common double-digit strikeout games, she was in command. Forty-nine of the 65 pitches she threw over the two days this game took were for strikes. From the middle of the fourth inning to the end of the sixth, she threw 19 consecutive strikes and she didn't have to throw more than nine pitches in any of her last four innings.
Catcher Amanda Metcalf, who was the Tigers' right fielder last season, showed off her arm in the top of the fourth as she picked Haylee Spencer off first.
"Amanda's looking very, very comfortable behind the plate," Curran said. "She had that nice pickoff play and she's finally doing what comes naturally and not forcing things and having fun back there. It's nice to see her relaxed and looking confident."
The Tigers turned their second double play of the contest -- the first one happened in the first inning way back on Thursday -- when Cassie Wilson lined out to Colvin in center field. Her momentum as she caught the ball happened to be taking her toward first base, where she made the throw to Bailey Gray to catch Cara Russell before she could get back to the bag.
Fort Scott had six hits offensively, the same as they did in the opener on Thursday. Colvin and Davis each had two of them. Metcalf and Floyd had the other two.
The Tigers have scored 12 runs this season -- not a great number considering the offense they could sometimes generate last season. But considering the level of competition they've played so far, it's not so bad. And they are hitting the ball hard but sometimes, right at people.
"Pittsburg probably caught five line-drive shots right at them in the last two games," Curran said. "I'm not concerned with our hitting or out scoring just yet. It will come around. And I would be fine with it if it comes later than now. So I'm fine with that."
Russell pitched for Pittsburg (2-2, 3-3 with all three losses against Fort Scott) and didn't walk anyone while striking out four Tigers.
Fort Scott will play at Parsons, Kan. in a Southeast Kansas League doubleheader Tuesday. The first game will get underway at 4:30 p.m.