by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington girls softball team finished the regular season with a 15-5 record after splitting with Clearwater Thursday. The girls won game one 6-3, but lost the second 8-6 on the road.

The Wellington baseball team got swept by the Indians 7-6 and 3-4. The Gentlemen Dukes are heading to Kansas City to play Ark City and Kansas City Turner to wrap up the 2016 regular season on Saturday.

Wellington, which hosts the regional post-season tournament next week at Worden Park, defeated Clearwater 6-3 smack out 10 hits to win by three in the first contest.

The game started out as an offensive free-for-all as Wellington took a 3-2 lead in the first inning. The Lady Dukes scored on an RBI single by Ryleigh Buck, an RBI single by Brooke McCorkle, and an error.

Wellington would add a run in the the third and was leading 4-3 going into the seventh. Erin Goodrum would add two insurance runs when she smacked a 2RBI homer over the left field fence.

The Crusaders had 10 hits to Clearwater’s eight. Wellington was flawless defensively while Clearwater had three errors.

Madi Lewellen was the winning pitcher striking out nine batters and allowing no hits.

Ryleigh Buck was again solid at the plate going 3-of-3 with an RBI.

In game two, Clearwater avenged the loss with a two-run victory. Wellington had one disastrous inning in which seven Indian runs were scored in the fourth.

Wellington opened with a 3-0 lead in the first when Avery Rusk, Bailey DeJarnett and R. Buck all singled and eventually reached home. Then in the third, a Buck double and McCorkle RBI single upped the lead to 4-0.

But in the bottom of the fourth, disaster stuck. Clearwater opened with a home run. Then two girls reached base on errors. Oberlechner would single the two girls home. Warren would double and then Weese hit the inning’s second home run. Going into the fifth, Clearwater led 7-4.

It was a deficit Wellington could not recover from, but came close. Madi Adams singled on and came home on a Rusk 2RBI double. DeJarnett then doubled but was left stranded.

Clearwater scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Erin Goodrum was left stranded on third to end the game in the top of the seventh.

Game 1: Wellington 6 Clearwater 3.

WHS  3 0 1 0 0 0 2     6 10 0

CHS  2 0 0 0 1 0 0     3  8  3

WP Lewellen 7I 8H 3R 3ER 9K 0BB 1HBP

LP Teufel

Rusk 2/4 1R 1ROE

B DeJarnett 1/4 1R

R Buck 3/3 3R 1RBI 1HBP 2SB

McCorkle 2/4 2RBI

E Goodrum 1/4 1R 1RBI 1HR

J Buck 1/4 1RBI 1ROE

A Goodrum 0/3

Lewellen 0/3

Adams 0/3

Game 2: Clearwater 8 Wellington 6

WHS  3 0 1 0 0 2 0     6 12 5

CHS  0 0 0 7 0 1 X     8  9  4

WP Jacobs

LP McCorkle 6I 9H 8R 2ER 3K 2BB 1HBP

Rusk 2/4 2R 1DBL

B DeJarnett 2/4 1R 2RBI 1DBL 1ROE

R Buck 2/4 2R 1RBI 1DBL 1SB

McCorkle 1/4 1RBI 1ROE

E Goodrum 2/3 1RBI 1BB

J Buck 0/4

Zimmerman 1/4

Lewellen 0/3

Adams 2/3.

———

The Crusader boys would take a 6-0 lead after a tremendous fourth inning, but could not hold onto it thereafter. Clearwater scored four runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh to win.

Neither team reached home plate in the first three innings, but the Crusaders got hot in the top of the fourth. Adam Hilt, Jared Shields, Skyler Struble, Connor Phelps, Arlis Troutman and Cade Phelps all reached base thanks in part to RBI singles by Ca. Phelps and Chevy Nuss and RBI double by Struble.

That 6-0 advantage would remain so until the bottom of the sixth when Clearwater scored three runs. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Clearwater scored three runs on three singles.

The loss was frustrating by the fact that Wellington would out-hit Clearwater 7-6 and the Indians committed five errors to Wellington’s two.

Wellington’s Therin Frame would pitch six innings and would get six strikeouts, while allowing just three hits and one walk.

He was relieved in the bottom of the seventh with Wellington leading 6-4. Noah Rinehart allowed two walks and two runs and the game was tied.

Then Adam Hilt came in and allowed three hits and the winning run.

“It was the timing of walks and errors and a couple of weak bloopers,” said Jeff Frazee, Wellington baseball coach. “That’s baseball.”

In game two, Clearwater opened a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Wellington got on board with run in the top of the fourth, but Clearwater responded in the bottom half to maintain a three-run advantage. In the top of the sixth, Wellington added two more runs, but couldn’t get a game-tying run.

Wellington is 6-12 for the season and wraps up with a triangular with Ark City and Kansas City Turner in Kansas City Saturday.

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