Adam Howe
Sports Editor
In a game that took nearly 24 hours to complete, Warsaw defeated the Lone Jack Lady Mules, 8-2 in the Class 2 District 8 championship last week in Cole Camp, staking claim to their sixth district crown in the past seven years.
The title tilt began just a little before 5:00 PM on Tuesday and didn't wrap up until shortly after 3:30 PM the next day after threatening storms and lightning moved across northern Benton County, forcing fields to clear and the game to be postponed.
Ladycats sophomore southpaw Brylee Brewster delivered another dominant pitching performance, holding the Lady Mules to just 2 runs on 5 hits. Lone Jack had averaged 10.4 runs per game coming into the contest.
In the top of the first inning, she struck out the first two batters swinging before giving up a single and then sat down the next Lady Mule on another swinging strike to end the top half of the first frame.
With 2 outs, sophomore Carly Price drew a walk to leadoff the first for Warsaw. She moved to third on a single to left field by Brewster, who also advanced to second on the throw. Another sophomore, Haylee Cobb hit a fly ball and reached on a communication error in left-centerfield. Price and Brewster both scored on the drop to give Warsaw the 2-0 lead and that would be just about all the Ladycats would need.
Brewster fanned the first two Lady Mules in the top of the second inning before allowing her first base on balls and then picked up another strikeout swinging for the third out.
The Ladycats tacked on 2 more runs in the bottom of the second when senior Janie Kilgore led off the inning by taking a 2-1 pitch to the left thigh. Senior Faith Tharaldson laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Kilgore to second and she moved up 60 more feet on another bunt by freshman Sadie Chapman who was safe and advanced to second when the ball was thrown in the dirt and skipped past the Lone Jack first baseman.
With just 1 out and the top of the order rolling over for Warsaw, freshman Tanna Howe belted a 1-0 pitch to left field for a double. Kilgore and Chapman both raced home to give the Ladycats a 4-0 lead. Freshman Adison Sherrill drew a walk and then, with 2 outs in the books, Brewster doubled on a fly ball to left field scoring both Howe and Sherrill easily as Warsaw stretched their lead to 6-0.
Lone Jack tallied their first run in the third when they picked up a 2-out double on a line drive to right field. That run would come around to score on a follow-up single as the Lady Mules finally got on the board.
Warsaw went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the third and Lone Jack was retired in order in the top of the fourth. Chapman reached on another error on a ground ball in the hole to lead off the bottom of the fourth, but she was left stranded to end the inning. Lone Jack manufactured another run in the top of the fifth to pull within 6-2, and then Mother Nature called.
Brewster drew a free pass to leadoff the bottom of the fifth inning for Warsaw, but the game was halted immediately by officials and site administration at the first burst of lightning.
Players and fans were whisked to buses and gyms while others awaited a decision in the parking lot. After a long wait, it was agreed to postpone the game from the point of where it was called and resume at 3:00 PM the following afternoon.
"To have a game canceled and then resumed the next day can be challenging, but our girls were extremely determined," Ladycats coach Kelli Eierman said.
After skies had plenty of time to clear, teams picked up right where they left off in the bottom of the fifth inning. Brewster stood at first for Warsaw, but only got so far as second base after the Ladycats went 1-2-3 again in the fifth frame.
Brewster induced a groundout to leadoff the top of the sixth and got the second out on a soft liner hit right back to the circle. After a single to right field, another swinging strikeout brought the Ladycats back to the plate.
With 1 out, Chapman exploited yet another error to find herself safe at first in the sixth and that would bring around the top of the youthful lineup for the Ladycats. They would get insurance when Howe took a 2-0 pitch deep over the left field fence. The ball wrapped around the foul pole for a 2-run homerun, her second of the district tournament, to give Warsaw a comfortable 8-2 lead. Sherrill drew a walk and Brewster knocked a 2-out single, but they both ended the inning on the basepaths.
"Emotions were so high going into the championship game," Ladycats assistant coach Kya Schepker added. "To have it (the game) put on hold for the weather and then to come back to add a couple more runs to get the win, that was big."
On a 1-1 count, the first Lady Mule of the seventh grounded out to Cobb at shortstop . . . 1 out.
After a tough 7 pitch at-bat, the next Lady Mule struck out swinging . . . 2 outs.
Just to make things dramatic, Lone Jack tallied a hit in their next at-bat, bringing up the top of the order . . .
With a 1-2 count, Brewster would not be denied her first district title as she fittingly fanned the final out of the inning for the Ladycats, helping them back on track with another district championship.
"After being upset in last year's district tournament, we all wanted to make sure that didn't happen again," Ladycats coach Megan Daleske said. "I felt like we came to the tournament this year with more intensity and determination than we've shown all season."
Brewster earned the win, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 14. She added to her season total with 46 strikeouts through 19.0 innings pitched in the district tournament.
"I know that if we can put runs on the board, Brylee will keep us in any game," Daleske commented.
Brewster also aided her own cause with a 3 for 3 day at the plate. She also scored once and drove in 2 RBI's.
"The championship game was an all-around team effort," Brewster said. "Our defense was on and our bats were hot throughout the game."
Howe drove in 4 runs on 2 hits, including a double in the second and the homerun in the sixth to help seal the deal. She also scored 2 runs herself.
Chapman went 1 for 3 in the game but reached base in each of her trips to the plate. She also scored twice.
"We couldn't be more proud of how our girls showed up," Ladycats coach Kelli Eierman said.
The Ladycats face(d) Fair Grove in the MSHSAA Class 2 State Quarterfinals on Wednesday evening.
Results from that game will be posted on social media and a full story will be in next week's edition.
