Silver Lake ends Lady Cubs’ title bid

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Sports

June 1, 2015 - 12:00 AM

MANHATTAN — It was deja vu all over again.
A good old-fashioned pitcher’s duel between Humboldt High’s Courtney Richey and Silver Lake’s Megan Deiter resulted in the Lady Cubs season ending with a 3-0 loss — their only loss of the year.
The loss relegated the Lady Cubs to third place in the Class 3A State Softball Tournament.
Dieter and Silver Lake beat Richey and Humboldt last season in the semifinals of the state tournament as well.
Unfortunately, Humboldt couldn’t get redemption for that loss on Sunday afternoon.
Dieter’s rise ball proved too tempting for Humboldt’s batters. Dieter finished the game with 16 strikeouts in her complete game shutout. Richey fanned eight Silver Lake batters over seven innings.
“We couldn’t lay off it,” coach Brad Piley said. “We knew it was coming, that we needed to lay off the rise ball she threw. But we just kept swinging at it. We don’t face that all year long. I’m sure when they play they’re league and conference, they’re facing good teams every week. That kind of puts us at a disadvantage, but we’ve got to figure out a way to get around it.”
Silver Lake broke through in the fourth.
After a leadoff double and a hit batter, a Richey wild pitch put runners at second and third.
Richey induced an infield fly for the first out, but a hard ground ball required a diving stop by shortstop Brook Turner. Turner threw out the runner at first, but a run scored.
The only run Silver Lake needed, it turned out.
Silver Lake tacked on two more runs in the fifth, the first coming on an infield hit; the second on a bloop hit to the outfield.
Humboldt’s best chance at scoring came in the second inning. Richey drew a leadoff walk and then slid under a tag at second for a steal. But, Dieter struck out the next three batters.
It was the only time the Lady Cubs put a runner in scoring position. Humboldt’s only hit came in the third inning on a line drive to center by Breanna Kline.
Humboldt finished the season 24-1. It just happened to be one loss too many.
“Before the season started we were looking forward to playing Silver Lake because of last year and losing in extra innings,” Piley said. “It just got away from us and we couldn’t get the bats going.”
This was the last game for six seniors: Turner, Kline, Delaney Umholtz, Kasey Beeman, Jaci Ross and Mallory Roush.
 
TO GET TO the semifinal rematch, the Lady Cubs had to square off with Lyons/Chase High School. Humboldt won the game 5-1. Richey got the win, throwing 12 strikeouts. Delaney Umholtz opened the scoring with a 2-run homer in the fourth.

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