HOISINGTON — Thanks to a strong pitching performance from Reaghan Burris and a run-saving play from catcher Alexis Langdon, Larned High School’s softball team edged Hoisington in a Class 4A Division-II regional semifinal game.
The Lady Indians won 4-3 to advance to the championship game against Pratt, which won its semifinal game against Russell, 15-0, in four innings.
Pratt didn’t find it’s offensive rhythm so easily against Larned.
Both teams remained scoreless until extra innings. Pratt won the championship and a berth in the 4A D-II state tournament with a 1-0 victory in eight innings.
Against Hoisington, Larned scored first, putting up two runs in the top of the first inning.
“It’s our fourth time getting to play Hoisington, and you always worry about that last time that you see them,” Larned head coach Sandy Lucas said. “We hit the ball well, just not getting them around in to home every time.”
Shay Shepherd drove in both runs with a single to make it 2-0 straight out of the gate.
Hoisington struck back in the third inning.
Marisa Jonas blasted a two-run triple, tying things up at 2-0, and Jonas crossed the plate one batter later on a single from Presley Smith.
“Everybody was just staying back and letting the ball get to them,” Hoisington head coach Gary Boxberger said. “In that first couple innings, they were reaching for the ball instead of waiting for it.
“In that inning, everybody was waiting for the ball and driving it hard.”
That’s when Burris came on in relief for the Tribe. She didn’t give up one hit in three innings of work.
“She’s a lefty, and they’ve got some lefties on their team, so there is the lefty-lefty combination that’s very good,” Lucas said. “If she can get some movement on her ball, and get all of her pitches going, we do OK.
“Our best defense is when Reaghan’s on first, Emily (Lucas) on the mound and Shay at short.”
In the fifth inning, Larned’s Emily Lucas scored on a wild pitch, and Annie Russum hit an RBI single, giving the Lady Indians a 4-3 lead.
Hoisington had its chance in the bottom of the sixth.
“That’s the fourth time we’ve seen them,” Boxberger said. “We got down early, but we kept battling. We got some runners on and got them around and they got some runs. We had that one play at the plate that could’ve gone either way. They said she never got to the base, so we’ve got to go with that.
“I’m just proud of our girls. They never gave up.”
Chelsey Bieberle reached base on an error and headed home on an infield groundball. Langdon jumped to catch a throw from Burris and landed in time to block the plate and tag out Bieberle, saving Larned from the tying run.