WARDSVILLE, Mo. - The rain didn't cancel Monday's game, but the Hickman Kewpies were able to put a damper on Senior Night for the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons.
Hickman scored all of its runs in the first two innings, getting a pair of multi-run home runs in the top of the second inning to top Blair Oaks 6-4 at the Falcon Athletic Complex.
After winning 19 straight games, Blair Oaks has dropped three of its last five.
"It was kind of exciting to see if we had a comeback in us," Blair Oaks coach Sharon Buschjost said. "We did battle back a few innings there but fell short."
Blair Oaks started all eight seniors, who played the entire game. While each senior had made at least one start this season prior to Monday's game, it was the first time all eight started in the same game and played in the field.
After scoring a run in the first inning, Hickman belted a pair of home runs off Blair Oaks pitcher Meredith Eisterhold. Athena Wheeler connected on a three-run homer to left field to make the score 4-0. Four batters later, Emily King hit a two-run blast to center field to stretch the Kewpies' lead to six runs.
"That's the potential of Hickman's lineup, that's the danger we run into with them," Buschjost said. "They have some power in their lineup. I was hoping to keep the home runs to zero tonight."
Blair Oaks had a few key defensive plays to keep Hickman from adding to its lead.
Catcher Sydney Wilde threw out courtesy runner Loren Gilland attempting to steal second base, which helped stop Hickman from having a big first inning.
"She gives me the opportunity as a coach to be a little more aggressive on first-and-third situations," Buschjost said of Wilde. "We have different plays we could call there, but I feel confident in going ahead, throwing it down and getting the runner while keeping the other runner at third base."
Torie Thurston made a catch in the second inning in left field that led to a double play, then moved to third base the following inning and made a nice play on the first ball hit to her for an out.
Thurston was one of the two defensive shifts Blair Oaks made when Makenna Kliethermes entered the game to pitch in the top of the third inning, which also moved Eisterhold to left field.
"I thought of all the players that could handle it would be Torie, and she handled it great tonight," Buschjost said.
Kliethermes did not allow a hit in five innings of relief, finishing with two walks and 11 strikeouts.
Blair Oaks started its comeback attempt with a three-run third inning. Hannah Schroeder doubled into right field, scoring Peyton Kusgen and Thurston. The next batter, Cameron Dulle, singled into center field to score Schroeder, cutting the Hickman lead in half to 6-3.
Dulle added another RBI single in the fifth to make it a two-run deficit.
However, Blair Oaks stranded one runner on base in each of the final five innings and ran into an out on the basepaths during the fifth.
"There are a lot of things that have to work out just right," Buschjost said, "and we didn't have it working just right tonight. We had some luck on our side. The fight was still there, but we still fell short."
Schroeder finished with one double, one triple and two RBI, while Kliethermes, Dulle and Thurston each had two singles. Wilde also had a single in the fifth.
The start of the game was delayed 30 minutes due to a brief rainstorm that passed through the area, which called for a handful of people to work quickly on the field in order to get the game in.
"Kudos and a shout-out to Dave Luebbering and his helper," Buschjost said. "I told the girls it's not too often you see a superintendent out there doing the kind of work that Dr. (Jim) Jones does as well."
Blair Oaks (21-5) wraps up a span of 22 games in 19 days today at Southern Boone. A win would clinch the Lady Falcons at least a share of the Tri-County Conference title.
"As coach (Jill) Linnenbrink and I congratulated (the seniors), I reminded each of them that our work is not done," Buschjost said. "We have some very important games left."
Blair Oaks won the JV game 7-3 to improve to 16-0. Kaitlyn Kolb finished with two hits and two RBI, while Kathleen Groner drove in a pair of runs and Natalie Otto and Ellie Kliethermes each had one hit and one RBI.
Paige Luebbering was the winning pitcher.
III
Between games Monday, Blair Oaks honored its eight senior softball players on Senior Night.
While introducing the eight seniors - Emma Boessen, Nicole Bryan, Dulle, Eisterhold, Schroeder, Macey Stockman, Thurston and Wilde - and their parents, it was announced five of the players plan to continue their softball careers next season at the collegiate level.
"They're a big class with quite a few of them going on to play at the next level," Buschjost said. "As I told them in the pregame speech, their high-school softball careers are winding down, so I wanted them to go out and enjoy tonight."