Frontenac takes final in pitchers' duel

CHANUTE -- Fort Scott High's softball team avenged an embarrassing home loss to Girard in Wednesday's semifinal but fell to Frontenac in the final of the Chanute Class 4A Regional Tournament in a pitchers' duel.

Fort Scott, which finished its season at 17-4, split a doubleheader with Girard at Don Hewett Field on April 30 but lost the second game that day 17-0. The Tigers shut out Girard in the semifinal, 4-0.

Frontenac (20-1) didn't allow a run in the Regional, blowing out Parsons 15-0 on Monday, then beating Baxter Springs 2-0 in Wednesday's first semifinal before downing the Tigers, 1-0, in the championship game.

The Raiders' run in the title game was the only run Fort Scott allowed in the tournament, outscoring its opponents 10-1.

Semifinal: Fort Scott 4, Girard 0.

Hannah Geneva (11-1) allowed only 3 hits while striking out 5 for the Tigers, who had 8 hits themselves.

Fort Scott took a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Riley Brown drove in Abby Denton and Hannah Tourtillott with a 1-out single to center field.

Denton and Tourtillott also Tiger runs in the sixth. Denton singled to short right with one out and Tourtillott followed with a hit to left. Maddi Allen and Brown put together two more hits, with the latter plating Denton. Tourtillott scored on Geneva's sacrifice fly.

Tourtillott had 3 hits for the Tigers while Denton and Brown each had 2.

Championship: Frontenac 1, Fort Scott 0.

Lindsay Gorham allowed 6 hits but Fort Scott stranded 7 runners. She didn't walk anyone and struck out two.

The only run of the game came in the bottom of the fifth. Jennifer Long doubled with 2 outs and moved to third base on a wild pitch. Ashton Alex drove her in with a single.

Kyenne Wade (5-3) allowed 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5 for the Tigers. Denton had 2 hits for Fort Scott, which stranded 2 runners in the third inning and had 2 on with 1 out in the fourth but stranded them.

The Raiders will be making their first State trip as a Class 4A school. They were the Class 3A State runners-up in 2011.

NOTES -- The Southeast Kansas League will not be represented in the Class 4A State Tournament this season. Independence was the last SEK team standing in its home Regional Tuesday but lost in the semifinals to Mulvane of the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League. The Wildcats (14-5) went on to beat AVCTL rival Wellington in the final, 6-5.

This will be Mulvane's second consecutive trip to 4A State. Last year, the Wildcats lost in the first round to Labette County of the SEK....

Paola (21-0) will be going to State. They defeated Anderson County in the first round of the Ottawa Regional Monday, then beat Ottawa, 6-3, in the semifinal and Louisburg, 4-0, in the finals on Tuesday.

Paola swept Fort Scott on April 25. The Tigers swept Louisburg in their season opener on April 2....

The other State Tournament qualifiers so far are Topeka Hayden (15-6), DeSoto (14-3), St. George-Rock Creek (17-4), and Augusta (21-0). The last qualifier was to be determined Wednesday but the final two rounds of the Ulysses Regional were postponed....

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SEMIFINAL

x -- Did not bat; DP was batting for her.

Girard...... 000 000 0 -- 0 3 1

Fort Scott 002 002 x -- 4 8 1

E -- Broce, Shoemaker. DP -- Girard 1.

LOB -- Girard 4, Fort Scott 5. SF -- Geneva.

CHAMPIONSHIP

x -- Did not bat; DP was batting for her.

Fort Scott 000 000 0 -- 0 6 1

Frontenac 000 010 x -- 1 5 1

E -- Shoemaker, Smith.

LOB -- Fort Scott 7, Frontenac 7. 2B -- Wade, Long. SB -- Alex, Bonner.

WP -- Wade 4.