Tiger softball splits with Chanute

Fort Scott High School softball concluded regular-season play with a split against Chanute in a Southeast Kansas League doubleheader at Don Hewett Field Thursday evening. The visiting Blue Comets won game one 10-6 but the Tigers bounced back in the nightcap to win 8-2.

Fort Scott (11-1 SEK, 16-4 overall), which clinched the league title last week, has won 47 of its last 49 league games. Oddly enough, both losses have come against Chanute (7-5, 10-10) as the teams also split the final doubleheader of the regular season last year.

The Comets led 7-6 after five innings of game one. Fort Scott scored 4 runs in the bottom of the inning to catch up. But Chanute scored 3 in the top of the seventh inning to get the win.

Fort Scott scored first as Katie Gorman led off the bottom of the first with a single, moving to third when the ball got away from the outfielder. She scored on Lane Bohlken's single.

Chanute scored two in the second but the Tigers tied it in the third. Gorman again hit a single, then moved up on a pair of groundouts in front of another Bohlken RBI single.

The Blue Comets scored 5 in the top of the fifth. In the bottom half, Karlee Stanley reached base on an error when she led off the inning. Gorman got on with a hit and Denton single to left to load the bases. Hannah Coombs went in to courtesy run for Denton, the catcher.

Bohlen doubled to center field, scoring Stanley and Denton. Bailie Brown reached on an error, which scored Coombs and Bohlken.

Gorman was 4 for 4 and scored 3 times for the Tigers. Bohlken was also 3 for 4 and drove in 4 runs. Denton went 2 for 3 for the Tigers.

Each team scored once in the first inning of game two. Fort Scott's score came as Bohlken's 2-out triple scored Taylor Krokroskia, who had reached on an error.

The teams traded scores again in the third. Gorman bunted her way on base to lead off the inning. Chanute's third baseman threw the ball away trying to ger Gorman, who wound up at third base. Krokroskia doubled to left to tie the score 2-2.

Fort Scott scored the go-ahead run in the fourth. Emily Hale walked with one out then stole second. She scored on Kyley Brown's single to center.

The Tigers put the game away with 5 runs in the sixth. Hannah Geneva walked to lead off the inning and Coombs went into run for the Tigers' pitcher. Coombs stole second and moved up on a groundout. K.Brown doubled to left to score Coombs and B.Brown followed with another double to score K.Brown. Stanley drew a walk and Gorman brought in B.Brown with a single to center. Stanley and Gorman moved up on a wild pitch and scored on A.Denton's single to center.

K.Brown was 3 for 3 for the Tigers in game two. Bohlken was 2 for 4 with an RBI and Gorman was 2 for 4, scoring twice.

Geneva (3-1) allowed 2 runs on 7 hits. She didn't walk anyone and struck out 14.

The Tigers move on to the Class 4A-Division I Regional Tournament, which will be held at Paola on Monday. Fort Scott is the No. 2 seed and will face Spring Hill (14-3) at 3 p.m. in the first game of the tourney. Paola (18-2), the top seed, plays Louisburg (5-13) at 4:30. The winners meet for the championship at 6 p.m.

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Game One

Chanute............ 020 050 3 -- 10 10 4

Fort Scott.......... 101 040 0 -- 6 13 5

WP -- Walker. LP -- Bohlken (10-3).

HR -- None.

Game Two

Chanute............ 101 000 0 -- 2 7 4

Fort Scott.......... 101 105 x -- 8 11 1

WP -- Geneva (3-1). LP -- Schoenhofer.

HR -- None.