HUMBOLDT — Some stellar pitching by freshman Shelby Shaughnessy and a relentless offensive attack paved the way for Humboldt High’s softball team Monday.
The Lady Cubs broke open a 2-1 lead by scoring four in the third and seven in the fourth to secure a 13-1 win over Fredonia.
Humboldt’s victory came in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs, setting up a semifinal game Tuesday against Burlington, with the hopes of advancing to Tuesday night’s final against either Prairie View or Douglass. (Editor’s note: Tuesday’s games were not completed by deadline.)
Shaughnessy settled down nicely after a rough start, in which she walked two and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch in the top of the first.
She was nails after that, retiring 13 of the next 14 Yellowjacket batters.
And the Lady Cubs didn’t take long to take the lead, rallying for two after two were out in the bottom of the first. Emily Ross drove in Brooklyn Ellis with a single before Shaughnessy doubled in courtesy runner Anna Heisler for a 2-1 advantage.
Ellis pushed the lead to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly before Carsyn Haviland followed with a two-run double and Chloe Daniels with an RBI single to stretch the cushion to 6-1.
Kirstyn Murrow started the fourth-inning onslaught with a double. She scored on a Karley Wools single. Another error allowed Ellis to score before a wild pitch and RBI grounder by Morgan Sterling made it 11-1.
Murrow capped the scoring with a two-run double.
Shaughnessy allowed one hit over five innings with seven strikeouts.
Murrow doubled twice in four at-bats with two RBIs. Haviland had a double and four RBIs, Shaughnessy doubled with an RBI, while Ross singled twice with an RBI. Wools and Daniels each had singles.
