Fairfield run-rules way to district finals
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
MINFORD — Following a slow start after the first two innings, the Fairfield Lady Lions took a deep breath, had a chat with their coaching staff and their bats got warm on a cloudy and rainy afternoon. The Lady Lions advanced to the Division IV SE District Finals with a 13-1 five-inning run rule win over No. 4 seeded Trimble.
The Tuesday night win at Minford High School saw the Lady Lions (19-4) score eight of their 13 total runs in the bottom of the third inning, followed by five more runs in the fourth for a second consecutive semifinal win in the district round against Trimble.
Last season, FHS defeated Trimble, 13-0 to move to the district finals.
“We got off to a bit of a slow start, but once we got going things, went pretty good,” FHS head coach Mark Dettwiller said. “We don’t have a whole lot of experience playing with this roster at the district level, but once we got through a couple innings, we played well.
“We had a little chat before we batted in the third inning. Our ammo is we put pressure on them, and we are very aggressive on the base paths.”
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As for the ’16 version of this game, FHS began their onslaught of scoring runs in the third inning, first by gaining an infield base hit by Lyndee Spargur to lead off the inning, followed by Sherry Heckathorn reaching base on an infield error. With both runners taking a base on the error, Grace Larrick reached first on an infield base hit.
With the bases full, Carli Reiber doubled to centerfield, scoring Spargur and Heckathorn, and as the inning continued, Larrick scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 lead. Kaiti White reached first on a walk, and with Shania Setty in as a pinch runner for White, she scored a run when Emily Wiliams took first on an error.
Setty made it a 5-0 Lady Lion lead as Kourtnie Smith doubled to plate Setty. Following the first out of the inning on the eighth batter of the inning, Megan Gragg took first on an infield error. Eventually, Williams, Smith and Gragg all rounded the bases for the eight-run advantage.
The fourth inning for the Lady Lions was nearly as productive scoring-wise, with Larrick singling to begin the inning, followed by a double down the third base line by Reiber to score Larrick for a 9-0 advantage.
White reached the bases again on a walk, and with Setty in as the pinch runner, she was joined on the bases by Williams with a single, loading the bases. Two runs crossed the plate on a base hit to centerfield by Smith, as Reiber and Setty scored runs 10 and 11 for the 11-run lead. Later, a single by Lauren Arnold pushed Williams across home plate for a 12-0 lead. Fairfield’s final run scored with an infield base hit by Spargur, who plated Mackinzey Harvey, who was in as a pinch runner for Smith.
In the circle, White nearly kept Trimble from gaining a hit, as their lone hit came in the bottom of the fifth with a home run to centerfield.
For the game, White allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk. She finished with 12 strikeouts in her district semifinal debut.
“Kaiti was phenomenal (Tuesday),” Dettwiller said. “She had 12 strikeouts, and that is pretty good.”
FHS will play in the district finals, as they look to defend their championship from last season when they face No. 3 seeded Paint Valley on Saturday, May 21 at 11 a.m. at Minford High School. Earlier this season, FHS defeated Paint Valley, 2-0 in a game played at Fairfield.
“It is a pretty good feeling to get back to the district finals because that is a goal every season for us,” Dettwiller said. “We’ll be facing a very good team in Paint Valley, and we are proud to represent the SHAC (Southern Hills Athletic Conference) and proud to be back here again.”
The Tuesday night win at Minford High School saw the Lady Lions (19-4) score eight of their 13 total runs in the bottom of the third inning, followed by five more runs in the fourth for a second consecutive semifinal win in the district round against Trimble.
Last season, FHS defeated Trimble, 13-0 to move to the district finals.
“We got off to a bit of a slow start, but once we got going things, went pretty good,” FHS head coach Mark Dettwiller said. “We don’t have a whole lot of experience playing with this roster at the district level, but once we got through a couple innings, we played well.
“We had a little chat before we batted in the third inning. Our ammo is we put pressure on them, and we are very aggressive on the base paths.”
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As for the ’16 version of this game, FHS began their onslaught of scoring runs in the third inning, first by gaining an infield base hit by Lyndee Spargur to lead off the inning, followed by Sherry Heckathorn reaching base on an infield error. With both runners taking a base on the error, Grace Larrick reached first on an infield base hit.
With the bases full, Carli Reiber doubled to centerfield, scoring Spargur and Heckathorn, and as the inning continued, Larrick scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 lead. Kaiti White reached first on a walk, and with Shania Setty in as a pinch runner for White, she scored a run when Emily Wiliams took first on an error.
Setty made it a 5-0 Lady Lion lead as Kourtnie Smith doubled to plate Setty. Following the first out of the inning on the eighth batter of the inning, Megan Gragg took first on an infield error. Eventually, Williams, Smith and Gragg all rounded the bases for the eight-run advantage.
The fourth inning for the Lady Lions was nearly as productive scoring-wise, with Larrick singling to begin the inning, followed by a double down the third base line by Reiber to score Larrick for a 9-0 advantage.
White reached the bases again on a walk, and with Setty in as the pinch runner, she was joined on the bases by Williams with a single, loading the bases. Two runs crossed the plate on a base hit to centerfield by Smith, as Reiber and Setty scored runs 10 and 11 for the 11-run lead. Later, a single by Lauren Arnold pushed Williams across home plate for a 12-0 lead. Fairfield’s final run scored with an infield base hit by Spargur, who plated Mackinzey Harvey, who was in as a pinch runner for Smith.
In the circle, White nearly kept Trimble from gaining a hit, as their lone hit came in the bottom of the fifth with a home run to centerfield.
For the game, White allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk. She finished with 12 strikeouts in her district semifinal debut.
“Kaiti was phenomenal (Tuesday),” Dettwiller said. “She had 12 strikeouts, and that is pretty good.”
FHS will play in the district finals, as they look to defend their championship from last season when they face No. 3 seeded Paint Valley on Saturday, May 21 at 11 a.m. at Minford High School. Earlier this season, FHS defeated Paint Valley, 2-0 in a game played at Fairfield.
“It is a pretty good feeling to get back to the district finals because that is a goal every season for us,” Dettwiller said. “We’ll be facing a very good team in Paint Valley, and we are proud to represent the SHAC (Southern Hills Athletic Conference) and proud to be back here again.”