— Justin McGill/Tribune-Courier || Marshall County’s Stephanie Helson dives back ahed of the tag of Heath’s first baseman during the Lady Marshals’ 2-1 win last Tuesday.
Lady Marshals split tough early-season games
MCHS plays at defending
state champ Saturday
By Justin McGill
Tribune-Courier Managing Editor
jmcgill@tribunecourier.com
DRAFFENVILLE – After opening the season with a win over Warren East last Monday, Marshall County avenged last season’s year-ending loss to Heath.
The Lady Marshals lost 4-0 to the Lady Pirates in the 1st Region Tournament Championship last season, but they gained a measure of revenge in a 2-1 victory last Tuesday.
“We were so disappointed with how well we had done at the plate all year and to not swing any better than we did in the region final,” MCHS head coach Jennifer Burnham said of last season’s end. “I like how we’re coming out with more vengeance. I can see it in their faces, not just their swings.”
The first Heath batter of the game scored, and six of the first Lady Marshal batters struck out. Stephanie Helton and Jordan Gilland each walked to start the third inning, and both scored on a Heath error. Hannah Barrett grounded to third base, but the throw to first hit Barrett in the shoulder, allowing Helton to score. Gilland followed her home when a throw from first to home went wild.
Barrett was the key figure in another pivotal play later in the game. Heath had runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth inning. After Gilland recorded the first out on a pop fly to center field, Barrett fielded the next batter’s bunt, faked a throw to first and tagged out the Lady Pirate runner, who went for the fake and was headed to the plate.
“She’s so good at that, and she knows the right time to do it,” Burnham said of Barrett’s play. “It’s like her trademark. It was a huge play.”
The pitching of Randi Butler and the MCHS defense shut down Heath in its final two chances, which was made more important by the Lady Marshals’ inability to cash in on other scoring opportunities, Burnham said.
“I felt like we had the opportunity to score a lot more runs than we did,” Burnham said. “We had people on and couldn’t make anything happen. We just weren’t putting it in play.”
Marshall County 2,
Heath 1
March 25 @ Draffenville
Heath 100 000 0 – 1 2 3
Marshall County 002 000 x – 2 1 2
TEAM STATS
Pitching MCHS: Butler – 7 IP,
5 K, 1 BB
Hitting MCHS: Moore – 1-3
Gilland – 2 walks, run
REIDLAND – Following an emotional win over Heath, the Lady Marshals were ready for a challenge against another 1st Region rival Thursday at Reidland. MCHS took a 1-0 lead in the first inning but was unable to sustain its focus in a 6-1 loss.
With Cassie Layne on the mound for the Lady Greyhounds, Helton was hit with the first pitch of the game. Allee Moore tripled in the next at bat to give the Lady Marshals the lead and momentum, but by the middle of the game, that momentum had fizzled.
“It was such a change of emotion,” Burnham said. “After the fourth inning, we just got on our heels and coasted. Our intensity fell down, and that’s when Reidland took advantage.”
With the game tied 1-1, Reidland turned four hits and a trio of MCHS errors into four runs to take command of the game. Reidland added an insurance run in the sixth inning.
Burnham said Butler struggled more on the mound Thursday than she had ever seen before.
“She was off today,” Burnham said. “Reidland won’t see her pitch that poorly again. That’s not her, but everybody has a bad day.”
Playing Heath and Reidland early in the season serves as a region measuring stick for the Lady Marshals, Burnham said.
“It gives us a good chance to see where we’re at and where we need to go,” Burnham said.
One area MCHS knows it is lacking in is experience. Gilland, a starter in center field, has been out with a shoulder injury since after the win over Heath, pressing more young players into action.
“They hadn’t played in a situation like that,” Burnham said. “We’ll learn throughout the year how to set the bar high and keep that intensity through the whole game. It will take some getting used to. I’m pleased with how [the young players] did. I couldn’t have expected better. We had to go to the bench for a little help, and they came through.”
Gilland is scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday. Burnham said her availability for Saturday’s games against Greenwood and Warren Central will hinge on the outcome of her doctor’s visit.
Reidland 6,
Marshall County 1
Thursday @ Reidland
Marshall County 100 000 0 – 1 3 3
Reidland 010 041 x – 6 8 0
TEAM STATS
Pitching MCHS: Butler – 6 IP,
4K, 1 BB
Hitting MCHS: Moore – 1-3,
1 RBI
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Outside the region, the Lady Marshals were still up against top competition in a 2-1, eight-inning loss Saturday against Carbondale, Ill.
Neither team scored until an RBI single by Helton scored Careece Martin. However, an error allowed Carbondale to tie the score in the bottom of the seventh, and another miscue ended the game in the eighth.
Butler held a no-hitter through six innings, striking out eight batters and walking three.
Once again, the Lady Marshals had chances to score but struggled to follow through, leaving 12 runners stranded on base in the game.
MCHS was scheduled to play Monday at Graves County, but the game was postponed due to rain. Burnham said it is likely the teams will play a doubleheader April 22 in Draffenville.
The next big test for the Lady Marshals is Saturday when MCHS will play at Greenwood at noon, then at Warren Central at 4:30 p.m.MCHS then plays Tuesday at Henderson County.
Carbondale 2,
Marshall County 1
(8 innings)
Saturday @ Carbondale, Ill.
Marshall County 000 010 00 – 1 5 2
Carbondale 000 000 11 – 2 2 3
TEAM STATS
Pitching MCHS: Butler – 8 IP,
8 K, 3 BB
Hitting MCHS: Helton – 1-2,
1 RBI (on base in
all four at-bats)
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