Vikings down Marmaton Valley girls

UNIONTOWN — A miserable start put Marmaton Valley High’s softball squad in an early eight-run deficit.
The Wildcats didn’t relent — they steadily chipped away at the lead, even after Arma-Northeast scored another five runs in the third — and even brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh inning.
But the quick start to the seventh ended abruptly with a strikeout and ground out, giving Northeast a 16-14 win.
The loss, in the first round of the Class 2-1A Regional Tournament, ends Marmaton Valley’s record at 3-12.
Northeast advances to take on top seed Yates Center (13-3) at 3 p.m. Thursday at Uniontown, the regional tournament’s host site. The winner will play Thursday evening against either Uniontown or St. Paul for a state playoff berth.
“It’s disappointing because we split with these guys earlier this season,” Marmaton Valley coach Brenda Mills said. “We made some nice plays, and the girls did a good job of getting on base. But it all boils down to pitching.”
Marmaton Valley went through two pitching changes in the bottom of the first after the first six Viking batters reached base. Northeast sent 14 batters to the plate in the fateful half inning.
The Wildcats settled down from there, and began their comeback attempt in the top of the second.
Ashlynn Pinkerton and Emily Boyd sandwiched walks around a Shauna Knight single. All three came around to score. Kasey Shadden and Pinkerton both singled and scored in the top of the third, pulling Marmaton Valley to within three, 8-5.
But Northeast responded in the bottom of the inning with five more runs to re-establish a 13-5 advantage.
Tabitha Ford kick-started Marmaton Valley’s four-run fourth inning after she was hit by a pitch. Kaitlin Ensminger, Shadden, Pinkerton, Knight and Boyd each followed with singles as the Wildcats closed to within 13-9.
Two more Viking runs in the fifth gave Northeast a 15-9 lead before the Wildcats responded with a three-spot in the top of the fifth. MaRyiah Cavender, Shadden and Knight had hits in that rally.
Northeast pushed the lead back to four, 16-12, with another run in the bottom of the inning.
Ensminger singled with one out in the top of the seventh, and Cavender doubled for a run. An error allowed Cavender to score and Shadden to reach base, bringing the tying run to the plate.
But Pinkerton popped out and Knight’s ground ball was filed by Northeast’s first basemen, who stepped on the bag to end the game.
Knight drilled four singles to lead the Wildcats. Shadden and Pinkerton each had three singles. Ford and Cavender each had a single and double for the Wildcats, while Ensminger had two singles. Emily Boyd and Jocelyn Miller both singled once.
Marmaton Valley’s pitchers issued 18 walks in the contest.
“We were afraid of this, because the umpire didn’t call our slow pitches as strikes,” Mills said. “It’s not an excuse, but we had troubles with the strike zone.”
Still, there were several bright spots on defense for the Wildcats. Ensminger snared a Viking line drive to start a double play, while Pinkerton’s leaping grab at short stop erased another potential hit in the fourth inning. Tabitha Ford pulled in a nice diving catch behind the plate on a foul pop up.
“I’m proud of how the girls gave their all, and showed improvement throughout the season,” Mills said. “The kids had fun. We’re going to miss our seniors.”