| Lady
Pirates edge Lewis County
A 3-run fifth inning led to a 5-1 win for the Prairie softball team against Lewis County Tuesday, May 3 at Cottonwood. Ashley Schaeffer had a big at-bat in that inning, fouling off 4 pitches after the count went full before singling to right to score a pair of runs. She later came around to score to give Prairie a 4-1 lead. Prairie had taken a 1-0 lead with a run in the second inning but Lewis County had come back to tie the score in the top of the fifth. Prairie added an insurance run in the sixth. Pitching ruled the game as Prairie’s Meghan VanderPas and Lewis County’s Sarah Savage pretty much went pitch for pitch. Each allowed just 3 hits while VanderPas rang up 14 strikeouts and Savage had 10. VanderPas, Schaeffer and Brooke Holthaus had Prairie’s 3 hits. Lewis County 0 0 0 0 1 0 0—1 3 2 Prairie 0 1 0 0 3 1 x—5 3 1 Lady Pirates win league title The Prairie softball team lost their first league game of the season but still won the White Pine League title as they split a doubleheader with Culdesac 2-7, 14-2 at Lewiston Wednesday, May 4. The games were to be at Cottonwood but wet field conditions moved the games to Lewiston’s Airport Park. In the opener Culdesac scored twice in the second inning to take the lead and never relinquished it. Prairie coach Travis Mader said the Pirates had numerous opportunities but let Culdesac’s pitcher work her way out of the jam every time. Prairie was held to 4 hits in the game, a double by Meghan VanderPas and a single each by Ashley Schaeffer, Kylie Uhlorn and Chantel Boniecki. VanderPas pitched the game allowing 6 hits with 9 strikeouts. That loss set up a league championship game in the nightcap. Prairie quickly took control as they piled up 7 runs in the first inning. The number 9 hitter in the order, Brooke Holthaus, finished off the scoring with a 2-out, 2-run single. Prairie added another run in the second for an 8-0 lead. Culdesac put a pair of runs on the board in the third but that was all they would get as VanderPas made the clutch pitches in this game. She allowed 7 hits and struck out 6. Prairie added 2 more runs in the fifth and 4 in the sixth as the game ended after 6 innings on the 10-run mercy rule. Prairie pounded out 11 hits in the second game led by Schaeffer who had 3 singles. Tiffany Schaeffer had 2 singles, VanderPas a triple and Natalie Arnzen, Uhlorn, Alli Holthaus, Boniecki and Brooke Holthaus a single each. Prairie winds up league play with an 11-1 record and are 13-7 overall. Game 1 Culdesac 0 2 0 0 2 0 3—7 6 1 Prairie 0 1 0 0 1 0 0—2 4 2 Game 2 Prairie 7 1 0 0 2 4—14 11 3 Culdesac 0 0 2 0 0 0— 2 7 2 May 14-Championship game vs. Culdesac, 10 a.m., loser plays again immediately afterward for second place and trip to state. 20-21-State at Lewiston |
 |
