Only two area teams remain alive in the postseason after Crest and Yates Center fell in Tuesday’s rescheduled regional openers.
The Yates Center Wildcats ended their season on the road against Hillsboro with a 12-2 loss to the Trojans. Freshman first baseman McKenley O’Brien’s RBI double caused an error, resulting in the Wildcats’ only runs of the evening.
Senior pitcher Kinley Morrison tied senior outfielder Madison Hall for the team lead in hits as the pair were successful in 2 of 3 at-bats. O’Brien had Yates Center’s only RBI. Morrison ended her high school career with two strikeouts over an inning, allowing eight runs on two hits and four walks. Junior Cayten Cummings came on in relief to start the second, tying Morrison for the team lead in strikeouts with two while allowing four runs on five hits and three walks.
The Wildcats end their season with a 6-16 record.
The Flinthills Mustangs brought the Crest Lady Lancers’ season to an end with a 9-7 nailbiter. Crest jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening frame after senior catcher Kinley Nilges reached on a wild pitch, then another infield error resulted in another Crest run moments later. A double by senior shortstop Aylee Beckmon added another run, then an RBI single by third baseman Summer Valentine plated Beckmon — giving the Lady Lancers a 4-0 lead.
The Mustangs scored eight unanswered runs over the third and fourth innings. Crest rallied to within a run in the fourth off a Nilges RBI single, an RBI grounder by junior Jaycee Schmidt and an RBI single by freshman Braylee Edgerton, but it was not enough to close the gap. Senior McKenna Powell ended her career with Crest as the Lady Lancers leading hitter while successful in 3 of 4 at-bats.
Senior pitcher Kinley Edgerton took the loss, tallying six strikeouts while holding the Mustangs hitless over 3 1/3 innings but allowing seven runs on 11 walks. She turned the mound over to her sister, Braylee, in the fourth inning. Braylee Edgerton tallied a pair of strikeouts while allowing one run on three hits and three walks.
The Lady Lancers end their season with a 9-15 record.
