Park Hill South picked up the tournament title at the Blue Springs Tournament, which was held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5 at the Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City.
In the opener of three games on Friday, the Panthers defeated Kearney, 10-2.
The Panthers had multiple runs scored in four different innings, pushing at least two runs across in those innings. Tied at 2 after four innings, Park Hill South scored eight straight over the final three innings.
Jessie Hagen led the team with three hits, including a two-run ground rule double in the third inning. Her second hit was an RBI single in the fifth inning. An error led to another run in the inning for Park Hill South to break the tie.
Mizzou commit Chantice Phillips had a two-run single in the sixth inning and she scored on Hagen’s third hit.
Annabelle Winter earned the victory, yielding five hits in seven innings.
WILL WRIGHT/Park Hill South High School
Park Hill South’s Hadley Uribe runs the bases during the a game against Liberty North on Thursday, Oct. 3 at Park Hill South in Riverside. Liberty North won 9-4.
The lone setback was a 9-5 loss to Webb City in the second game on Friday, Oct. 4.
The Cardinals scored three runs in the first and third inning and built a 7-1 lead.
Park Hill South added two runs in the fourth and sixth inning. Cara Sparks doubled home a run and scored on an RBI single by Phillips in the fourth. Meggen Keller provided an RBI sac fly in the sixth, while an error brought another run home for the Panthers.
Due to a time limit, the game ended after six innings.
Keller, Phillips and Sparks combined for six of the Panthers’ nine hits.
The Panthers bounced back with a 3-2 win against Blue Springs in the third and final game on Friday.
Two of those runs came in the second inning, both coming home on Jolie McMinn’s RBI single, which scored Leslie Callahan (who reached on an error) and Cassidy Taylor (who walked) to make it 2-1.
Cara Sparks’ sac fly, after a double by McMinn, capped the scoring for Park Hill South.
Blue Springs got a run in the final inning, but Annabelle Winter retired the final three in order.
Park Hill South finished with a 9-4 victory against Smithville on Saturday, Oct. 5.
A four-run first set the stage for the Panthers, sending eight batters to the plate. Winter provided half of the runs on a single, while McMinn doubled home a run. Phillips scored on a wild pitch for the first run for Park Hill South.
Smithville pulled within 4-2 in the bottom half of the first, but the Panthers boosted their lead to 7-2 by the third inning. Leslie Callahan had an RBI single in the second inning, while Phillips singled to bring two runs home in the third inning.
Two errors accounted for the final runs in the sixth inning for Park Hill South.
Katlyn Pierce got the win in relief for Park Hill South, giving up one hit in three innings and didn’t allow a run.
Other games
Kearney 7, Platte County 0
The Pirates were blanked for the second time in the past three games after this loss on Monday, Oct. 7.
The Bulldogs pounded out 14 hits and scored multiple runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings.
Kearney’s Katie Blodgett struck out seven and gave up only one hit against Platte County — a single by Madison Carter.
Liberty North 9, Park Hill South 4
The Panthers scored four runs in the first inning but the bats went cold after that in a Suburban Conference Red Division loss on Thursday, Oct. 3 in Riverside.
The Eagles scored eight of their nine runs between the second and fifth innings.
The first inning for Park Hill South saw all four runs score with two outs on the board, the first two on Annabelle Winter’s double. Cassidy Taylor followed with an RBI single and an error on the play brought Winter home.
The first six runs for Liberty North came off of home runs.
Leslie Callahan had two hits to lead Park Hill South’s offense.
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
Park Hill’s Kennedy Townsend launches a shot to left field during a game on Thursday, Oct. 3 against Blue Springs South at Park Hill High School in Kansas City.
Blue Springs South 9, Park Hill 2
The Jaguars scored four runs in each of the final two innings to rally for a victory in Suburban Conference Gold Division play on Thursday, Oct. 3 at Park Hill.
The Trojans (12-4, 3-3) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning against the reigning Class 4 champions.
Kennedy Townsend reached second on an error and went to third on a passed ball. Sam Bertoncino singled her home and then she scored on Shelby Sanders’ double to left field.
Sanders doubled again in the third inning and almost scored, but a ground ball to right field was shallow enough to make a play at first base to end the inning.
A three-run double by Bailey Brumley gave the Jaguars the lead in the sixth inning, while Lauren Good had a two-run single in the seventh to cap the scoring in final inning. Good drove in four runs.
Sanders had two of the Trojans’ five hits.
“We haven’t had one of those games since early September,” Park Hill coach Jackie Qualls said. “They have been playing so well, it was bound to have a hiccup. We got it out of the way quickly and can move onto our next game.”
Park Hill 8, Staley 2
The Trojans built a 6-0 lead after three innings to easily cruise to a win against a Class 4 playoff team last year.
Doubles by Shelby Sanders and Kali Day made it 2-0 in the first inning before the Trojans busted the contest open on Kennedy Townsend’s three-run homer to center field in the second inning.
Grace Woods added a two-run homer in the sixth inning to account for the final runs for Park Hill.
Day had three of Park Hill’s 12 hits, while Sanders and Chloe Strickland had two each.
Kaylyn Jones struck out 14 and gave up only three hits on the mound for Park Hill.
Liberty 3, Park Hill South 1
The Blue Jays scored single runs in three straight innings and picked up a Suburban Conference Red Division on Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Liberty.
The lone run for Park Hill South came in the final inning.
Chantice Phillips singled with one out and Jesse Hagen drew a walk to put the tying run at the plate. Meggen Keller had a single to load the bases. Leslie Callahan delivered a sac fly to bring Phillips home, making it 3-1. With the tying run at second base after all three runners tagged, the game ended with an out at home on a would-be attempt to steal home.
Park Hill South was held to only four hits against starter Lydia Hart.