Lady Frogs Move to 13-5;

Sweep Russell 3-2 and 16-1

by Dennis Gonzales & The Pratt Tribune

May 08, 2008

The PHS varsity softball team eked by then erupted in a doubleheader with Russell Tuesday at Green Sports Complex. PHS eked past the Broncos 3-2 in game one then erupted for a 10-run third inning in game two to complete the sweep with a 16-1 victory.

The victories improved Mike Forshee's Lady Greenbacks to 13-5.

They now wander up to 5A Great Bend May 8 then await the beginning of the 2008 KSHSAA 4A Pratt Regional May 12-13 at Green Sports Complex. The regional is comprised of Pratt, Colby, Goodland, Hugoton/Moscow, Kingman/Norwich, Russell, and Ulysses.

The Greenbacks own two wins over Ulysses.

Tuesday, Pratt led game one 1-0 after Heather Goertz's RBI single scored Rebecca Slief. Goertz, the Lady Greenbacks' lone senior, was honored between games. Misfortune would strike Slief in the third. She injured her ankle sliding into second, resulting in her missing the remainder of the doubleheader.

Russell, who came to town 6-12 overall, went up 2-1 entering the bottom of the fourth.

PHS rallied.

Haley Pevateaux scored on an error then Jordi Garrett crossed home plate on Brooke Blankenship's RBI grounder to second for the go-ahead run.

Garrett, the Lady Greenbacks' catcher, was solid defensively, tagging a Bronc base runner out at home in the second then throwing out a would-be stealer.

PHS produced five base hits and left eight base runners stranded. Blankenship earned the win, allowing four base hits and striking out one. She did not walk a batter. PHS brought a 4-0 game-two lead into the third inning. Blankenship held Russell hitless through three.

With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Hannah Page's two-run double grew the lead to 6-0.

The runs cometh.

At the inning's conclusion, 18 Lady Greenbacks had made their way to the plate, scoring 10 runs. They collected eight hits and four walks. The barrage led to a 14-0 advantage.

During one stretch, Goertz, Olivia Barber, Pevateaux, and Garrett hit four singles in a row. Russell pushed across a run in the fifth before PHS evoked the run rule. Pevateaux's fielder's choice brought home Goertz. The run-rule trigger was Garrett's RBI single.

Blankenship finished with a one hitter, striking out three and walking two.

A fifth-inning Russell double washed out her no-hit bid.