Fairbanks’ Tiffini Harper slides into home plate during the bottom of the third inning. The freshman Lady Panther scored two runs in the team’s 15-1 win against Marion Pleasant.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff)
—
Fairbanks’ softball team punched its ticket to a Division III district title game following a 15-1 triumph over Marion Pleasant on Monday.
“I knew if we hit like we have been hitting, we would have no trouble,” Fairbanks head coach Amy Sines said. “They gave us a lot of free bases which helped, but that gave us an opportunity to score some runs.”
The first-seeded Lady Panthers have had their way in their last two postseason matchups. They have scored 36 runs compared to one from the opposition.
The 12th-seeded Lady Spartans ventured to Milford Center a few days after a 3-1 win against seventh-seeded Columbus Bishop Ready.
Struggling at the plate for most of the contest, Pleasant was only able to score one run in the top of the fourth inning. That came on a solo homer by Hannah Miller.
It was the only hit yielded by FHS pitcher Macy Kise.
“I knew we were still going to be OK,” Sines said. “We just had to rebound and [Kise] did.”
The Lady Panthers needed just four innings to seal a run-rule victory. The team raked in 11 hits when it was all said and done.
Kise was strong inside the circle for the Lady Panthers. The junior struck out six and walked two.
“She gets high in the count, for sure, but she seems to come out ahead,” Sines said.
Kise started the top of the first inning on a strong note by striking out the first two Pleasant batters.
An infield error allowed Pleasant’s Faith Staley to land on first base.
Staley was substituted for by Jayden Gifford, who proceeded to swipe second and third.
However, a foul ball by Miller landed in the glove of Fairbanks’ Kyah Hendren to end the threat.
In the bottom of the first inning, every base was covered when Kise stepped to the plate.
In what every coach and pitcher fears, a throw from Pleasant’s Staley hit Kise on the elbow.
“Luckily it was her left arm,” Sines said. “You don’t want any of your girls to get hurt, especially not your pitcher.”
“I was like ‘ouch,’” Kise said. “We just toughed it out and I mean I had to play.”
The hit batsman gave Fairbanks its first run of the evening with Hailey Dee coming in for the score.
Fairbanks produced an offensive push in the second.
Dee drove in two runs, while Anna Dulle and Kise both had one ribbie.
The four runs put Fairbanks’ lead at 5-0.
Fairbanks continued to push the envelope by adding another three runs in the bottom of the third.
Hendren notched two RBIs and Kise added one more for a 7-0 advantage.
After Pleasant scored its only run in the top of the fourth, the Lady Panthers returned to the plate in the bottom of the frame looking to put the game away.
And away they did, scoring seven runs to make it a 15-1 ball game.
The Lady Spartans’ offensive woes continued in the top of the fifth.
That made way for Fairbanks to ultimately claim the victory by the run rule.
“I didn’t think it would be this big of a run difference, but I am glad we came out and played the game we know how to play,” Kise said.
Kise led the squad with five RBIs.
Pleasant’s pitching duo of Staley and Kylie Eastep combined to allow 15 runs on 11 hits. They issued nine free passes and fanned one.
The Lady Panthers (19-2-1) will face third-seeded Liberty Union for the district championship this upcoming weekend. A date and time for the first pitch, as of Tuesday, had yet to be scheduled.
“I think we need to just keep playing our game and not give up on each other,” Kise said.
Sines said the team will need to work on defensive pressure situations to get acclimated to what Liberty Union will show.
Pleasant 000 10-1 1 4
FHS 143 7x-15 11 2