Spoofhounds pick up first MEC victory over Eagles
JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Maryville junior Jillian Partridge squares up a pitch by Bishop LeBlond senior Madisyn Gerhardt for a single in Tuesday’s 19-0 Spoofhound victory at Bartlett Park in St. Joseph, Missouri.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Maryville softball team certainly had reasons to be doing cartwheels after the Spoofhounds won their first MEC game of the year in resounding fashion over Bishop LeBlond on Tuesday at Bartlett Park in St. Joseph.
Maryville coaches Chandra DeMott and Avery Bailey took that very literally as they each did cartwheels to the team huddle after the team’s three-inning 21-0 victory.
“Last year, my assistant coach at the time and I did cartwheels after a really tight game,” DeMott said. “It is just something silly that we do with them. We’ve just kind of been down and out mentally the last couple weeks so we thought it was time to bring it back.”
The team was able to celebrate and laugh most of the game due to the incredible start the top of the lineup had.
Junior catcher Emma Baldwin and freshman shortstop Briley Watkins each had hustle doubles on lazy fly-balls that dropped in the Eagle outfield. The emergence of freshman Watkins as a viable top option and the steady presence of Baldwin has given the Spoofhounds a potent one-two punch.
“Being at the top of the lineup is fun,” Watkins said. “Emma and I work pretty well together. We know that when Emma gets on I can either bunt or hit her in.”
Baldwin scored on Watkins’ double and Watkins came in on a wild pitch. No. 3 hitter Ashlyn Alexander also scored to give Maryville a 3-0 lead.
“It was good that we came out strong,” Watkins said. “That boosted our confidence.”
After a pair of outs, the Hounds lineup got restarted by another freshman with right fielder Blake Springer overcoming a late jump and using her tremendous speed to beat out a dropped third strike.
Springer advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches and senior third baseman Beth Pederson drove in Springer with a single to left field.
Pederson stole second then scored on another couple wild pitches. Maryville carried a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the first.
That was plenty of room for sophomore pitcher Riley Gray to operate. Gray mowed through the first inning with an 1-2-3 frame to put her offense right back to the plate.
Gray is a pitch-to-contact pitcher and on Tuesday night, her defense was perfect behind her with no errors. That defense includes two freshman infielders with Watkins at shortstop and Alexander at first.
“I am getting comfortable and I trust my teammates around me,” Watkins said. “I didn’t really play a lot of short before this, but I am getting used to it.”
The offense responded by picking up right where they left off.
“The potential has been there all along,” DeMott said of the team’s offensive explosion. “We’ve done a lot of hitting in practice and I’ve brought in some live hitting. We’ve tried to mix things up. Last Friday, I threw in a new set of hitting drills for two hours of practice just to mix things up for them. Sometimes part of the slump is just doing the same thing over and over again.”
Baldwin tripled and Watkins singled to start the second inning.
After an Alexander walk, junior left fielder Jacklyn Hersh hit a triple to deep left field and the score was 8-0.
“It is good to get back on a roll,” Hersh, who has been battling a slump, said. “We have three games this week so this is a good start.”
Sophomore center fielder Jessica Finch reached on an error by her counterpart in center and Springer and Pederson drew back-to-back walks.
Junior Jillian Partridge drove in a run with a ground out and junior second baseman Summer Swalley cleared the bases with a double to right field.
Baldwin and Watkins each reached base and scored again as the lineup turned over. Maryville scored 10 runs in the second inning and took a 15-0 lead into the bottom of the inning.
The Eagles managed their only hit of the game off of Gray in the second, but that was all as Gray posted another shutout frame.
The Hounds posted six more runs in the third inning. Freshman Jocelyn Rodriguez got things going again with her first hit of the season and her second plate appearance.
Pederson, Partridge and Swalley all reached base to keep the inning going.
After a Baldwin fly out, freshman Morgan Wray, hitting for Watkins, reached on an error and Alexander singled.
Hersh cleared the bases with her second triple of the day to provide the final 21-0 margin of victory.
One final 1-2-3 inning by Gray ended it and gave the Spoofhounds their first MEC victory this season.
“It sets the tone for the rest of the week and I hope the girls stick with it and we will be fine,” Hersh said.
The Hounds have five freshman and three sophomores on their 12-person roster. While that is a lot of inexperience, it also makes for a tight-knit group that can grow together.
“We’ve known each other for a long time and we know each other’s weaknesses and skills,” Watkins said.
UP NEXT
The Hounds will play a make-up game from Monday’s rain-out against Platte Valley in Conception Junction on Wednesday. Maryville will be back in St. Joseph to play Benton on Thursday.
JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Maryville sophomore Riley Gray throws a pitch in the first inning against Bishop LeBlond on Tuesday evening to Bartlett Park in St. Joseph, Missouri. The Spoofhounds beat the Eagles 21-0 in three innings.
