FREDERICKTOWN — The fourth-seeded Saxony Lutheran Lady Crusaders (16-6) posted 5 runs before the fifth-seeded Perryville Lady Pirates (3-16) managed to cross home plate last Thursday in the opening round of the Class 3, District 1, tournament at the Fredericktown Sports Complex, winning 5-1 to advance to the second round.
“I thought it was a good game,” said Saxony coach Mark Lewis. “It’s playoff softball. It doesn’t matter what your record is, you’ve got to come to play and play hard. Our team did.”
The Lady Pirates actually outhit the Lady Crusaders 4-3, but were able to get more runs across.
“That was the best game that we played all year long,” said Perryville coach Jim Simpson. “I couldn’t be more proud of 18 individuals that came and just absolutely — after a tough season — gave me everything they had.”
Saxony Lutheran opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, when a passed ball allowed Onna Boland to score, making it 1-0.
The Lady Crusaders expanded their lead in the third, when Ansley Palisch hit a 2-run home run to center field, making the score 3-0, and again in the sixth on a wild pitch and an error. Perryville scored its only run with 2 outs in the seventh, after a leadoff double from sophomore pitcher Lilly Cowell and an RBI single from freshman Adysin Vernon made it 5-1.
“I thought both pitchers pitched well,” Lewis said. “We scored one, and we had the bases loaded and a chance to kind of get going, but we just got the one. And then later on, Ansley hit the two-run homer, which was big. Chipping in a couple late runs kind of helped out too, obviously.”
Saxony freshman starter Madilynn Hager earned the win for in the circle for the Lady Crusaders after giving up 1 run on 4 hits in 7 innings, while striking out 6 and walking 1. Cowell took the loss for the Lady Pirates, giving up 5 runs — 3 earned — on 3 hits over 6 innings. She finished with 9 strikeouts and 4 walks.
“I just want to commend my sophomore pitcher,” Simpson said. “She’s pitched great all year, and when it was clutch time, she showed up. She showed up and showed out today. So congratulations to Lilly on a great season.”
At the plate for Saxony, Palisch led the team, finishing with 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored, and Boland was 1-for-2 with 2 runs scored.
For Perryville, Vernon was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Cowell was 2-for-3 with 1 run scored.
“It would have been real easy for these kids to just say, ‘I’m done, we can’t win’,” Simpson said. “Saxony, they beat us 16 to nothing the first time. We didn’t play very well, but they still bumped us. After the season — record-wise — that we had, it would have been very easy to just fold it up and quit. And they didn’t. They came and they tried their damnedest to win, and I’m just so proud of them.
“We lost to a better team, and that’s all there was to it. We played a great game. We didn’t hit very well. Those things happen, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of losing in a game like that. We’re young. We’re bringing almost everybody back, so look out next year.”
Kevin Jenkins of the Republic- Monitor contributed to this story.
