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'Hounds on a run: FSCC enjoying longest winning streak in five years
It's been a long time since Fort Scott Community College's softball program has enjoyed a run such as the one it's on now.
The Greyhounds swept a doubleheader from Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division rival Independence at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex Monday afternoon, stretching a winning streak that began Friday afternoon to seven games.
The streak began on Friday at the Division II seeding tournament at Wichita with four wins there as well as another victory picked up when the Greyhounds' appeal of an earlier loss to Johnson County was upheld and they went on to win that game after replaying it from the point of dispute.
If the win over Johnson County is included in the streak -- that game was originally played March 6 -- then the Greyhounds have a seven-game winning streak going. Fort Scott's program hadn't won more than three in a row since 2004.
Monday's games were a clean sweep of Indy: The first game by a 7-0 score, the second a run-ruled 8-0 score.
"We haven't had a lot of consistency," Fort Scott's second-year head coach Lauren Sigwing said. "We had started playing well about two weeks ago but we had some rainouts and we couldn't keep it going. This past weekend, it kind of clicked. Hopefully, we've kind if turned the corner and we'll have some more consistency now."
Hannah Somers put the Greyhounds (11-19) on top in game one with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning.
Fort Scott added six in the sixth with the air of three Pirate errors. Somers drew a walk to lead off the frame. Then Chelsie Kibbe reached on an error and Somers advanced to third.
Sam Hays reached on another error. Somers and Kibbe both scored and Hays moved up on another error.
Maggie Cornish's one-out double to center brought in Hays. Sam Ribas walked and pinch-hitter Megan Bliss walked with two out to load the bases.
Emily True came up and belted a double to left that brought all three runners home.
Lindsay Boham pitched the first 5 1/3 innings for the Greyhounds, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out seven. Lauren Kinser came in to a bases-loaded, one out situation in the top of the sixth and got a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning, then put the Pirates (2-29) down in order in the seventh.
The good pitching continued in the second game as Ashley Harris went the distance with a two-hitter. She walked one and struck out five.
"We can't ask for much more," Sigwing said of the Greyhounds' pitching. "We got out of jams when we needed to.
"We either got the strikeout when we needed it, or we got the groundout. We haven't let errors lead to big innings too often, at least not lately."
Sarah Doyle scored the first run of game two. She singled, moved to second on a passed ball, stole third and scored when True singled.
Two runs went up in the third. Doyle led off with a double and Kelly Shay reached on an error. True then singled to left. Doyle scored on the hit and Shay came around when the ball skipped past the left fielder.
Fort Scott doubled it's 3-0 lead in the third. Ribas hit a solo home run to center with one out. Doyle then drew a walk. Shay bunted and beat out the catcher's throw to first for a hit. Doyle moved to third when no one covered the bag while as the Pirates seemed to think the ball was foul. During True's at-bat Shay drew a pickoff throw was tagged out but she managed to stay in a rundown long enough for Doyle to score.
After all that, True cranked a home run to center to make it a 6-0 lead.
The eight-run rule kicked in and ended the game early in the bottom of the sixth. Hays reached on an error. Crystal Colvin was hit by a pitch. Maggie Cornish then rapped a single to right-center which scored both runners.
True was three for three with four runs batted in in the second game. Doyle was two for two, scoring three times.
Greyhound bats were key over the weekend as Fort Scott defeated Hutchinson, 12-8, and Pratt, 11-8, Friday and Dodge City, 5-4, and Brown Mackie, 14-4, Saturday.
The 'Hounds had 17 hits in the win over Hutchinson, one of which was a three-run homer by Kibbe in the third. That was one of her two hits.
Doyle was four for five with three stolen bases. Somers was four for five with two doubles. Ribas went three for five and drove in three runs.
In the win over Pratt, Somers had three hits and four RBI's, which includes a two-run homer in the second inning that put the 'Hounds ahead for good. True and Colvin were each three for four and Kibbe was two for four.
True was two for two with a homer and two RBI's in the win over Dodge City. Ribas and Hays each scored twice.
Harris pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out five.
Ribas had a two-run home run and Hays had a solo shot in the win over Brown Mackie. Somers went three for three with two doubles and two runs batted in. True was three for four and Doyle went three for three.
The Johnson County game was disputed when the umpires at that game disregarded Fort Scott's scorebook even though it was the home team that day and went with the score the Cavaliers had in their book. Johnson County then went on to score another run and take a 6-5 win on that day.
However, the conference rules that this decision was incorrect and ordered that the game be replayed from the point where that decision was made. Fort Scott was leading 5-4 during the bottom of the sixth inning at that point. The 'Hounds held on to win the replay by that score.
NOTES -- The 'Hounds are one win shy of last season's total....
The last seven-game winning streak came at in the first seven games of the 2003 season. However, the Greyhounds won only two of their next 12 and finished the season 20-26....
at Wichita
Game One
Fort Scott........... 614 000 1 -- 12 17 4
Hutchinson......... 200 301 2 -- 8 10 2
WP -- Boham.
HR -- Kibbe (3rd inn, two on, two out).
Fort Scott........... 150 320 0 -- 11 14 2
Pratt.................. 300 020 3 -- 8 11 3
WP -- Harris.
HR -- Somers (2nd inn., one on, two out).
Dodge City......... 000 001 3 -- 4 5 5
Fort Scott........... 002 102 x -- 5 10 0
WP -- Harris.
HR -- True.
Brown Mackie.... 000 04x x -- 4 5 1
Fort Scott........... 103 28x x -- 14 13 2
WP -- Boham.
HR -- Ribas (5th inn., one on, none out), Hays (4th inn., none on, none out).
Game One
Independence.... 000 000 0 -- 0 4 5
Fort Scott........... 001 006 x -- 7 6 1
WP -- Boham. LP -- Jones. Sv. -- Kinser.
HR -- Fort Scott: Somers (3rd inn., none on, two out)
Independence.... 000 00x x -- 0 2 4
Fort Scott........... 001 00x x -- 8 9 1
WP -- Harris. LP -- Wood.
HR -- Fort Scott: Ribas (4th inn., none on, one out); True (4th inn., none on, two out).