YATES CENTER — The Yates Center High softball team was hindered by its defense and their inability to string together good at bats in a pair of losses to Eureka at home Thursday.
The Wildcats were coming off playing four straight games this week before taking the field against Eureka, possibly a sudden loss of energy as a team. The Wildcats didn’t have enough in the tank for a comeback in a 10-5 game one loss. Then in the second game, the Wildcats were held to only six hits in a 4-2 loss.
“We’re light years ahead of where we were week one,” Yates Center head coach Scott Grogg said. “Hopefully by regionals, we get some things ironed out, get some of these errors out of our system. Our infield is mainly made up of freshmen and sophomores so the sooner our younger players get comfortable, the better it’ll be.”
Game one
The Wildcats attempted a comeback in the bottom of the sixth inning tying the game at 5-5, but ultimately were overcome by Eureka’s bats in the 10-5 loss.
Yates Center’s Kinley Morrison tripled to lead off the game and scored on an RBI groundout for the early 1-0 lead.
Eureka wasted little time getting to work. The Tornadoes knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the second inning and struck again in the fourth inning when an RBI single gave Eureka a 2-1 advantage.
“We had three errors on one play in that first game,” said Grogg. “That first game we had so many errors that we gave up so many runs. When she (Proper) is pitching well and the defense isn’t doing things right it’s frustrating.”
The Tornadoes came alive in the fifth, scoring three, including an RBI single.
Callyn Miller knocked an RBI single to second base in the sixth inning which plated Yates Center’s second run for a 5-2 game. Izzy Lewis then ripped an RBI single with the bases loaded and brought one run home for the 5-3 hole in the sixth.
The Wildcats wouldn’t go down without a fight. Morrison smacked an RBI single to shortstop for the 5-3 score in the bottom of the sixth. Proper then laced a two-run single to left to knot the score at 5-5 heading to the seventh.
Eureka added on five more runs in the top of the seventh to ultimately sink Yates Center, 10-5.
Game two
Similar to game one, Yates Center was able to knot the score in the middle parts of the game but were ultimately downed when Eureka made their final push in a 4-2 loss.
Avery Eakin started in the pitching circle for the Wildcats and was hit early in the second inning with a couple of runs. After getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, Eakin was hit with two more runs in the top of the fourth inning, including a hit by pitch.
