With timely two-out hitting, Seckman built a 5-0 lead over Fox through four innings and withstood a fifth-inning rally by the Warriors to win their C-6 rivalry game 6-3 on Aug. 31 at Fox.
Jaguar righthander Claire Knoll was sharp, pumping pitches and letting her defense go to work behind her over the final three innings. Highlights included a double play started by shortstop Josie Lindsey, a backhanded stab and backward flip from second baseman Morgan Pratt to first baseman Kendall Altman, and Altman’s dive into the first-base bag for an out. The Jaguars improved to 5-2 while the Warriors fell to 1-6.
“My defense has been amazing and I can’t thank them enough,” said Knoll, who improved to 4-0 this season. It was her second complete game in as many days as the Jaguars beat North County 11-1 in Imperial on Aug. 30.
The home plate umpire called a consistent but small strike zone, and Knoll adjusted. “You have to focus on the next pitch and put it past you,” she said.
Before the fifth, it was hard to get anything past the Seckman defense. The Jaguars began the season finishing fifth at the 28th annual Union Tournament. Jenna Volz threw a six-hit shutout (10-0) against Perryville in the fifth-place game.
“Josie and Morgan have been outstanding defensively,” Seckman head coach Steve Bonastia said. “Morgan makes play after play and Josie is just solid as she can be.
“Last year we didn’t play very good defense and this year we worked on it.”
Fox pitcher Marissa Geist and her defense kept the Warriors in the game. Geist pitched all seven innings, allowing nine hits and walking two.
“We played good defense and Marissa Geist pitched really well for us,” said Fox head coach Ryan Klimkiewicz, who is in his first season. “We did everything right in the field. We’re looking at stringing together some more big hits.
“Those last three innings, that’s the at-bats we need to have all the time. We need to work 3-2 counts, take walks, hit by pitches. We haven’t seen a ton of live pitching yet, so we’re trying to get into it. We have to build on those last three innings and get ready for league play.”
Audrey Davis and Abby Harvell came home on an Emma Maness single with two outs to give the Jaguars a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
With one out in the fourth, Jenna Volz and Riley Karzma singled, and with two outs, Lindsey singled to double the Seckman lead to 4-0. A single by Davis plated Lindsey to make it 5-0.
“We had key bats, great at-bats,” Bonastia said. “In the first inning, we had bases loaded and no outs, then with two outs, Emma gets a big hit for us. Audrey and Josie had the hits to drive in runs. Just great situational hitting.”
Geist retired the Jaguars in order in the fifth and sixth, as the Warrior bats came alive. Third baseman Peyton Seitz led off the fifth and scored on a double by Emmalee Rogers for the Warriors’ first run. Rogers ended up stranded at third as Seckman pulled off a 6-4-3 double play.
In the Fox sixth, Briahna Hart and Aubrey Andrews had hits and scored on hits by Daleigh Cairns and Seitz to cut the Jaguar lead to 5-3. The Warriors were poised to take the lead with the bases loaded, but Knoll got a strikeout to end the inning.
“She’s throwing a lot more strikes this year,” Bonastia said. “You can tell she’s matured and is stronger and understands the game. She’s been fantastic for us.”
Seckman got a critical insurance run in the seventh when Lindsey led off with a hit, stole second base and scored on a two-out single by Grace Dean.
“That run was huge,” Bonastia said. “Fox had a lot of momentum going.”
In the win over North County, Altman had a hit, drew two walks, stole a base and scored a run. Davis, Deen, Lindsey and Maness each had two hits. Knoll, Maness and Volz had two RBIs apiece.
Fox began its season in the Rockwood Summit Tournament, and the Warriors’ one win there was a 9-4 decision over Ursuline Academy. Hart was the winning pitcher and Geist, Rogers and Mackenzie Winkler each had two RBIs.
“They’re working really hard and are a fun group to be around,” Klimkiewicz said after the loss to Seckman. “Rivalry games bring out the best in both teams. We had a different intensity and a different feel today. I want to hone that and take it into every game. I’m looking forward to playing them again, hopefully this year.”
Lion freshman hot in circle
Northwest freshman pitcher Jordin Ragan is making the most of the start of her varsity career.
On consecutive nights, Ragan pitched the Lions to complete-game shutouts over Hazelwood West and Festus to push them over .500 at 4-3.
In the 2-0 win over the Wildcats on Aug. 30, Ragan allowed three hits, no walks and struck out seven. In an 8-0 victory over the Tigers on Aug 31, Ragan again didn’t issue any walks, fanned nine and gave up just one hit. She’s been playing high-level select ball for years and was ready to compete at the varsity level.
“I was about working inside and outside and up and down and making sure my pitches were on point,” Ragan said. “Working ahead in the count helps. Getting that first-pitch strike helps me play around with my pitches.
“Having a strong defense behind me and supporting me helps me keep a strong mental mindset working through my counts.”
Northwest’s offense gave Ragan more support against Festus. Senior center fielder Ella Stichling batted leadoff and scored three runs and had two hits. Sophomore Reagan Shelton tripled and sophomore catcher Rose Consolino had a double.
Northwest scored a run in each of the first two innings against Hazelwood. In the first, Stichling and sophomore Skye Comia both had hits and Stichling scored. Stichling’s two-out single in the second plated freshman Alli Lewellen, who was a courtesy runner for Ragan after she singled.