MORAN — Marmaton Valley High’s softball team had a quick start on offense, but the Wildcats had a tough time slowing down a potent Jayhawk-Linn lineup Tuesday, falling 11-4 and 13-4.
The losses drop the Wildcats to .500 on the season, with a doubleheader at Uniontown Thursday to wrap up the regular season.
The Jayhawks took a quick 4-0 lead in the top of the first of Game 1, before Aly Ard and Brooklyn Adams opened the home half of the frame with singles. Kendall Scharff walked, Payton Scharff singled in a run, and Madi Lawson singled in two more with one out to pare the deficit to 4-3.
That was as close as the Wildcats could get.
The Jayhawks extended their advantage to 5-3 in the second and 8-3 in the fourth.
Kendall Scharff’s leadoff walk in the fifth turned into a run when Payton Scharff and Khiana Haynes followed with singles. But two other baserunners were left stranded, and Jayhawk-Linn tacked on three more insurance runs in the top of the sixth.
Marmaton Valley left a pair of baserunners stranded in the sixth and one more in the seventh.
Ard and Payton Scharff each rapped out three singles, Lawson and Haynes both had a pair of hits, and Adams and Kendall Scharff each singled once.
THE JAYHAWKS kept up the pressure in the nightcap, even after going down 1-2-3 — all via strikeouts from MV hurdler Tayven Sutton — to start the game.
But the tenor changed as the next six batters reached base via a walk or hit batsmen as part of a five-run rally.
Ard doubled and scored in the third before Kendall Scharff walked and Payton Scharff singled to lead off the fifth. Both came around to score on Lawson’s double. Problem was, the rally only pulled the Wildcats to within 11-3.
The Jayhawks tacked on two more runs in the sixth before Ard tripled and scored in the bottom of the inning to cap the scoring.
Ard wound up with a double and triple and Payton Scharff had three singles. Lexi Lowder chipped in with a pair of singles. Lawson served up a double. Bailey LaRue, Kendall Scharff and Sutton each singled,
