SB: Ladycats silence Joaquin with sweep
Mount Enterprise's Devyn DeVore awaits the throw during Friday
night's bi-district playoff contest in Douglass. The Galcats swept the
Lady Rams 2-0 to take the series. (Photo by John Krueger)
DOUGLASS -- Mount Enterprise junior catcher Kara Chapman slammed a pair of doubles and added a home run, while driving in four runs Friday night as she led the Galcats to a two-game sweep of Joaquin in the best-of-three Class 1A Bi-District playoff here at Lady Indian Field, 17-0, 13-8, ending the season for the 25th-ranked Lady Rams.
The first two games of the series were originally scheduled to be played in Joaquin, but inclement weather forced the teams to move the entire series to Douglass. The weather cooperated for the most part, but the Lady Rams, who finished the season with five straight losses, couldn't get on track all night long.
Mount Enterprise, which racked up 23 hits in the two-game series, will move on to battle District 17-1A champion Maud in the Area round of the playoffs this week. Maud received a first-round bye. The Lady Rams finished the season with a 13-14 record.
The Lady Rams' had trouble getting their offense in gear in the opening game against Mount Enterprise as Savannah Vaught and Brianna Bryant combined for a two-hitter. Vaught worked the first two innings before injuring her ankle while going in for a slide. She struck out two and gave up two hits. She returned to the game later, but not in the circle.
Bryant closed out Joaquin in the opening game, fanning seven and walking two as she pitched four no-hit innings.
Whitney Vaughn (1-for-3) and Jordan Welch (1-for-2) accounted for the two JHS hits. Katelyn Cockrell added a sacrifice and a walk, while Olivia Worsham walked.
Vaughn took the loss in the circle for the Lady Rams. She surrendered five earned runs (17 total) on 14 hits while walking four and striking out four.
Amanda Jones homered for the Galcats, while finishing the game 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and four RBI. Bryant went 2-for-3 at the dish, with a triple, three runs scored, a stolen base and a sacrifice. Maci Grubbs had a strong effort in the opener, recording a triple and a pair of singles in five at-bats, driving in three runs, scoring three and stealing a base. Vaught and Devyn DeVore and each went 2-for-4 as well as Vaught pushed two runs across the plate and scored twice and walked, while DeVore scored three times, walked and drove in a run. Brilee Chapman also had two hits, pushing three runs in and scoring twice.
Joaquin suffered through seven errors in the contest, resulting in 12 unearned runs for MEHS. The Galcats took a 2-0 lead in the second frame when Vaught and Bryant both plated. Grubbs scored in the third inning as Mount Enterprise built its lead to 3-0.
The Galcats scored four times in the fourth inning and added another in the fifth to widen the gap to 8-0 and then closed out JHS with a nine-run (three earned) sixth.
By playing the best-two-out-of-three, Joaquin had a chance to get back into the series in Game 2. And it appeared, early on, that the Lady Rams were going to send the series to a third game on Saturday as they scored four runs in the top of the first.
JHS pounded out five hits in the opening frame as Peyton Rutherford - who made three outstanding plays in the outfield - along with Megan Cockrell, Wilkerson and Welch all crossed the plate in the opening inning. Wilkerson and Welch both doubled in the frame and Joaquin had early momentum.
But Mount Enterprise took up where it left off in the first game offensively, scoring twice in the bottom of the first and then added eight runs on four hits in the second to retake the lead for good, 10-4.
The Lady Rams weren't finished, scoring three runs in the top of the fourth to cut the advantage to 10-7. Rutherford, Cockrell and Wilkerson each crossed the plate in the frame as JHS used two hits to score the runs.
But that's as close as Joaquin would come as Mount Enterprise scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to ice the series.
DeVore picked up the win in the circle for Mount Enterprise. In 3.1 innings she surrendered three earned runs (7 total) on seven hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Bryant finished up the game, fanning seven and allowing just one unearned run on one hit.
Ashlyn Harvey took the loss for Joaquin, giving up eight earned runs (13 total) on nine hits with six strikeouts and five walks.
Joaquin was only outhit 9-8 in the game. Wilkerson tripled and doubled in three at-bats, finishing with a pair of runs scored and a RBI. Rutherford also went 2-for-4, while Welch went 1-for-2 with a walk, two stolen bases, a run scored and another driven in. Amber Owens singled, stole two bases and scored a run, Vaughn singled and walked and Megan Cockrell was a perfect 1-for-1 before leaving the game with an ankle injury. Bailee McSwain came off the bench to score twice.
Kara Chapman belted a home run and a double for the Galcats, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Brilee Chapman also had a hot bat with a 2-for-4 contest, with three runs batted in and a run scored. Grubbs went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three more driven in. DeVore scored three times, walked and picked up a RBI while going 1-for-3.
STATS AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Linescore
Mt. Enterprise 021 419 = 17 14 02
Joaquin 000 000 = 00 02 07
Individual Leaders
WP: Savannah Vaught (ME) - 2.0 inn., 0 runs, 0 ER, 2 hits, 2 K, 0 BB, 0 HB.
LP: Whitney Vaughn (Joaquin) - 6.0 inn., 17 runs, 5 ER, 14 hits, 4 K, 4 BB, 1 HB.
2B: Mt. Enterprise - Kara Chapman.
3B: Mt. Enterprise - Maci Grubbs, Brianna Bryant.
HR: Mt. Enterprise - Amanda Jones.
--------------------------------
GAME 2
Linescore
Joaquin 400 300 1 = 08 08 06
Mt. Enterprise 280 030 x = 13 09 04
Individual Leaders
WP: Devyn DeVore (ME) - 3.1 inn., 7 runs, 3 ER, 7 hits, 3 K, 4 BB 1 HB.
LP: Ashlyn Harvey (Joaquin) - 6.0 inn., 13 runs, 8 ER, 9 hits, 6 K, 5 BB, 0 HB.
2B: Joaquin - Taylor Wilkerson; Mt. Enterprise - Kara Chapman.
3B: Joaquin - Taylor Wilkerson.
HR: Mt. Enterprise - Kara Chapman.