Lady Crusaders: Better late than never
by
Tom Loeffler
Posted: 09.05.2012 at 8:17 PM
One of Wednesday's umpires obviously didn't get the memo about the 4 p.m. start between Jefferson City and Helias, forcing more than a 20-minute delay.
At least it wasn't hot standing around waiting on the blistering blacktop.
Thanks, ump.
Still, the start was too early for the Lady Jays.
Hailey Weavers went 3-for-3 with a double, three RBI and three runs scored as the Lady Crusaders romped to a 14-2 win in six innings at Lincoln Field.
For Helias, it was better late than never.
"I thought our kids were really motivated to get back on the right track after a tough loss (3-2 to Blair Oaks on Tuesday)," Helias coach Dan Campbell said. "They came out hungry and got the job done.
"Overall, by far, it was our best game of the year. It's not even close."
Neither was this game. The Lady Jays (2-3) scored an unearned run in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead.
By the time it reached the bottom of the fourth, Helias (2-2) led 9-1.
And if you have the first five batters in the Helias lineup on your fantasy softball team , this was your lucky day. They combined to reach base 15 times with 10 hits, nine runs scored and 10 RBI.
"We hit the ball well, finally," Campbell said. "We've been struggling at the plate, but we had some kids who gave us a nice lift.
"That's what we've been missing. It takes some pressure off your defense when you score some runs and get some cushion."
Helias scored four runs in the third, five in the fourth, and closed it out by the run-rule with four more in the sixth.
Besides Weavers, here are some of the other hitting heroes for Helias --- Paige Bange had three hits and two RBI, Jordan Rackers had two hits and three RBI, Kaysie Scheuler chipped in two hits, and Hillary Hentges belted a two-run homer.
Those hitters are front-loaded in the top five. But the bottom four in the Helias lineup also had one hit apiece, and they kick-started the big innings in both the third and fourth.
"That makes it nice when they get on," Campbell said, "because that just rolls it over to the top of the lineup."
For the Lady Jays, they've had better days --- and they will certainly have better days ahead.
"We can only get better," Lady Jays coach Lisa Dey said.
Dakota Newton had two hits, including a triple, for the Lady Jays, while Brooke Rozier had an RBI. Katelyn Rush took the loss, while Paxton Welch tossed a five-hitter and allowed just one earned run to get the win.
"Paxton just did an excellent job," Campbell said, "because Jeff City has a great-hitting lineup; they have great sticks up and down the lineup.
"If you'd have told me we would hold them to two runs, I would have been ecstatic."
The Lady Jays will not have a dominant pitching staff this season, so they're going to have to rely on their offense and defense.
Neither had a good day Wednesday.
"I think we're better than a five-hit team, there's no doubt," Dey said. "We're going to have to score some runs and on defense, we can't make those silly mistakes. That's just fundamentals, that's just good softball.
"Some of the things we're doing right now is not good softball. It's not even fun to watch."