YATES CENTER — The Yates Center High softball team proved what they are made of in a couple of lopsided home victories against Oswego on Monday.
The Lady Cats used their bats to show why they are one of the favorites to win the Three Rivers League title yet again this season. Yates Center combined to outscore Oswego 31-6 over the two games. The Lady Cats earned run-rule wins in both games.
Game one
The Lady Cats plated two runs in the first inning, four more runs in the second and seven runs in the third.
After the big third inning, the Cats were able to coast to a 15-0 run-rule win behind the arm of senior pitcher Molly Proper.
Proper allowed three hits while striking out five Indians.
Proper sat down the first nine batters.
Kinley Morrison doubled and Proper singled before they later scored in the bottom of the first inning for the 2-0 lead. In the second inning, Lauren McConaghie and Izzy Lewis were each hit by pitches, Morrison singled and Proper grounded into a fielder’s choice.
Emma Grogg drove in two runs to give the Lady Cats a 6-0 lead before Yates Center scored seven more in the third inning.
Morrison knocked in three more runs, Callyn Miller plated two and Grogg and McConaghie each plated one more run in the third inning to take a 14-0 lead.
McConaghie walked and scored on a Morrison RBI in the bottom of the fifth for the 15-0 final score.
Yates Center had 10 hits including a team-high three hits from Morrison. She also belted a three-run homer in the third inning. Proper and Grogg each had two hits.
Game two
Yates Center was forced to make a few more pitching adjustments in game two but the bats proved to be the main force behind a 16-6 win.
The Lady Cats looked like they were going to run away with another lopsided run-rule victory in the first couple of innings, especially after scoring nine runs in the first inning.
However, Oswego tightened up and brought the game within five runs in the second inning, 9-4.
Yates Center’s mammoth first inning began with Morrison and concluded with Proper the second time around. Proper’s second at bat saw her smash a home run for the 9-0 advantage.
Morrison and Proper scored twice while Grogg, Grace Westerman, Miller, Jaycie Randall and Lewis each scored one run in the first inning. Westerman knocked in two runs in the process.
Oswego scored four runs in the top of the second inning as Jasmine Espeseth, Kadie Folk, Marlee Ezeel and Kylee Johnson each walked before scoring to make it a 9-4 ballgame.
