SPLIT DECISION: Red Devils split home doubleheader

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Sports

February 21, 2017 - 12:00 AM

Some familiar names for local high school softball fans helped spark a 4-0 Allen Community College  game-one victory over Oklahoma Wesleyan’s junior varsity on Monday in Iola.
It started in the pitcher’s circle where sophomore Raegan Beckley — a former Iola and Humboldt nemesis from her time as a Wellsville Eagle — was dealing.
Beckley threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts and allowed only one hit and a pair of walks.
“Even the umpire said that she would fall behind (in the count) but knew she would get out of it,” Allen coach Jaime Jensen said. “She just has that confidence about her.”
Red Devil leadoff hitter Winter Henry got the Allen offense going in the first inning with a single and she came around to score on a squeeze play executed by freshman Chelsea Lake.
In the third inning, Henry again ignited the Red Devil offense. This time she hit a leadoff triple to center field and scored on a wild pitch to give her team a 2-0 lead.
“Henry is a player that has so many tools at the plate,” Jensen said. “She just has to trust her abilities.”
Still, the Allen offense was struggling to mount much run support for Beckley. That is, until the fourth inning when the hometown kid came through.
Former-Filly Ashlie Shields singled to score sophomore Marissa Lilly and used her speed to steal second and advance to third.
Shields scampered in to second when the Eagles committed an error with freshman Alexis Ramos at the play.
Shields’ run gave the Red Devils a 4-0 lead that they were able to carry until the end of the game with freshman Dela Boyd providing to innings of shutout relief to secure the win.
Shields started the game in left field.
“I recruited her as a second baseman and catcher for us,” Jensen said. “It got to where I knew she probably wasn’t going to catch for us, but she was making things happen at the plate so I wanted to find a way to get her more playing time, so I threw her in the outfield at practice.”
In game two, the Eagles were able to figure out the Allen pitching.
Allen freshman Courtney Gard — an Erie graduate — threw two shutout innings to begin the game, but gave up three runs in the third inning and one in the fourth.
The long ball hurt Gard, who surrendered homers to Jayci Wang and Tatum Dobson.
The Eagles scored two more runs in the fifth inning off of freshman Sierra Thompson, before Jensen went back to game-one starter Beckley for two innings of relief.
Beckley threw two perfect innings with three strikeouts, but using her twice in one day is not something Jensen wants to make a habit out of.
“Until our other pitching staff can make adjustments and hold their own, (Beckley) might have to come back in,” Jensen said. “We have a lot of games in a season though, so I’m not trying to use her for both games, that is why we have four pitchers.”
Delany Umholtz — a Humboldt graduate — Lilly, and Breanna Dinkel each had two hits for Allen in game two.

UP NEXT
The Red Devils are now 5-6 this season and will host Ottawa University’s junior varsity on Wednesday.

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