Park Hill South dominated the field and took home first place this past weekend at the Winnetonka/Park Hill South Tournament held at Tiffany Hills Sports Complex.
The Panthers topped Staley, 4-2, in the championship on Saturday, finishing a 4-0 run and claiming the title for the first time since taking part in the tournament — then just the Winnetonka Tournament — in 2014.
Winners of five in a row, Park Hill South (8-4) trailed 2-0 in the title game on Saturday, Sept. 15 got a run in the fourth after Chantice Phillips doubled and scored on an error. Kate Kobayashi’s RBI double in the top of the fifth tied the game before Jolie McMinn’s two-run single proved to be the game-winning hit. Jessie Hagen earned the win on the mound.
Park Hill South 6, Blue Springs 2
The Panthers left the bases loaded in the first inning before breaking through with a pair of runs on Jessie Hagen’s RBI single to set the tone for the semifinal win on Saturday, Sept. 15.
Hagen and Meggen Keller had RBI singles in the sixth to account for the final runs. In between, Kristen Clevenger had an RBI double and Chantice Phillips singled home a run fifth.
Webb City 8, Park Hill 7
The Trojans had a 7-4 lead evaporate late against the Cardinals on Saturday, Sept. 15.
Trailing 4-0 early, an error and a two-run single by Shelby Sanders pulled Park Hill within 4-3 and then a four-run fourth provided them with the lead. Sanders had a two-run double and scored on Kali Day’s RBI single. Another run scored on an error by Webb City.
An error by Park Hill in the top of the sixth led to the game-winning run.
Sanders had three hits, while Chloe Strickland and Peyton Morehouse each had two for the Trojans, which had 13 total.
Park Hill 10, Warrensburg 5
The tournament ended with a five-inning win for the Trojans against the Tigers.
Sanders stayed hot with an RBI single in the first and that was followed by Samantha Bertoncino’s two-run double. An error brought her home, making it 4-0.
A wild pitch, an error and an RBI single by Strickland allowed the Trojans some breathing room, as the lead was trimmed to 6-5 at one point. Strickland added a two-run single in the fifth to account for the final tally.
Strickland had three hits, while Peyton Morehouse, Bertoncino and Rylee Schmitt had two each for the Trojans.
Park Hill South 4, Park Hill 1
The Trojans went ahead early on Kennedy Townsend’s leadoff home run in the first, but the Panthers rallied late to pick up a win on Friday, Sept. 14.
Sam Ahrendt hit an RBI single in the fourth to push across the tying run for the Panthers in the quarterfinal game.
Singles by Chantice Phillips and Meggen Keller set up Kristen Clevenger’s RBI single in the sixth. Two-run error in the seventh accounted for the final runs for Park Hill South.
Kaylyn Jones struck out 10 in a losing effort for the Trojans.
Park Hill South 15,
Raytown South 0
In a three-inning game, an eight-run first inning set the tone for the win on Friday, Sept. 14. Meggen Keller set the school career doubles record in the first inning, her 33rd to break the tie atop the leaderboard.
Annabelle Winters hit a three-run homer in the first inning for the Panthers, while Kate Kobayashi had two hits in the frame, the double in her second at-bat made it 8-0.
Grace Dieleman, batting for Keller in the third, hit a solo home run.
Park Hill 6, Smithville 5
Kennedy Townsend, who had a team-high three hits, got the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to lift the Trojans to a win against the Warriors on Friday, Sept. 14.
The inning started with Alexa Lashbrook getting a single and moved up when Miranda LaMunyon reached on an error.
Smithville went up 2-0 before a four-run first gave the Trojans the lead temporarily. Three straight hits from Samantha Bertoncino, Josie Heckman and Lashbrook made it 4-2. Smithville scored three straight to make it 5-4, before the Trojans knotted it up at five on Peyton Morehouse’s RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. Morehouse got the win on the mound.
OTHER GAMES
Blue Springs 7, Park Hill 1
The Wildcats won a Suburban Conference Gold Division came behind three innings with multiple runs scored. Blue Springs struck for two in the first and third innings and extended the lead to 7-0 in the fourth inning.
Maddie Kielty had RBI hits in the first and third inning and scored on Bella Andrews’ two-run homer in the fourth.
Freshman Kennedy Townsend hit an RBI single for the lone run for the Trojans, coming in the sixth inning. Park Hill had 11 hits, compared to seven by Blue Springs.
Park Hill 6, Blue Springs South 4
The Trojans secured its first-ever Suburban Gold Division win with a victory at home on Tuesday, Sept. 11. After going winless the first two-plus seasons in the new division, the Trojans knocked off the defending Class 4 runners-up and handed the Jaguars its first loss of the year following a 9-0 start.
The only time the Jaguars led was in the top of the first. Park Hill answered with RBI singles from Josie Heckman and Kali Day. Chloe Strickland drove in a run in the second and an error on her hit in the fourth made it 4-1.
Peyton Morehouse’s two-run single in the bottom of the sixth provided the Trojans with a 6-2 lead.