The Wildcats took on the Webster Groves Statesmen in a sectionals battle at EHS, Oct. 16.

Because the game was a sectional matchup, the home and away sides were decided by a pre-game coin flip with the Wildcats ending up as the away team despite playing at home.

The game got off to a promising start with a lead-off double by Allie Webb, right field.

However, after two pop outs and a line out to third, the Cats left Webb stranded on second.

The Wildcats missed chances in each of the first three innings, stranding runners in scoring position. 

“It was frustrating,” Mr. Mark Mosley, head coach, said. “When you get good opportunities you need to make sure you come through.”

In the fourth inning the Wildcats took advantage of a dropped pop fly by the Statesman right-fielder to put the lead-off runner on in the inning. Katelyn Massa, catcher, singled up the middle to score Allie Craft, left field, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

Later in the inning another pop-up was dropped by the Statesman shortstop allowing Madeline Krumrey, pitcher, to reach base.

Krumrey was driven in on an RBI single by Hope Waller, first base.

“That was really refreshing,” Coach Mosley said. “Taking the lead loosened us up.”

After taking the lead in the top of the fourth, Krumrey faced bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the fourth. She struck out the next two batters to work out of the jam. 

“I was really relieved,” Krumrey said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to get of of it.”

“That was really big,” Coach Mosely said. “She really buckled down and it shifted the momentum.”

Gaining some energy, the Wildcats added two more runs in the top of the fifth.

One run scored on a fly ball off the bat of Jamie Fowle, shortstop, which was dropped by the Statesman left fielder and allowed Webb who walked to lead-off the inning to score on the sacrifice fly.

Fowle scored the fourth run during the fifth inning on third base Samantha Witte’s double over the head of the centerfielder.

After another dominating inning by Krumrey, striking out two in a one-two-three inning, the Wildcats extended their lead in the top of the seventh.

Witte, batting with nobody on and two outs sparked a rally with a solo homerun to left-center.

The next batter, Allie Craft, left field, tripled down the right field line and then scored on a home run to straightaway left by Massa.

“Those were good insurance runs,” Coach Mosley said.

The Wildcats won, 7-0 ,scoring two in the fourth and fifth innings and scoring three in the seventh. 

Krumrey pitched a complete game shut-out with 11 strikeouts, six strikeouts looking.