Wellington girls fall one run short of a Class 4A Regional Championship in Independence

May 15, 2013 Cueball

Girls softball team finishes second at Class 4A Regional at Independence. (photo by Lori Oathout)

by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow â€” Oh, so close! The Wellington girls softball team came one run from winning the Class 4A Regional Championship in Independence. The Crusaders fell to Mulvane 6-5 in the regional championship. This came after the stunning upset in the semifinals when it beat the top seed of the eight-team tournament Clearwater 6-4.

The Crusaders went 11-9 for the season.

Wellington came into the tournament a fourth seed and after beating a traditionally rich Rose Hill team in the first game without starting senior Kailey Jenkins, the Dukes would beat Clearwater after losing to the same team – three times! It helped that Jenkins had returned.Â

So a chance for a regional championship seemed a great possibility when third seeded Mulvane knocked off second seeded Independence.

But the season would end with Shelby Hamel at second base. The Crusaders had scored four runs in the top of the seventh to overcome a 6-1 deficit and pull within one with just one out.

But two pop-up flies would end the Crusaders’ season.

It was a great run under the direction of first year head coach T.D. Buck .

The trip to Independence was a two-hour venture robbing many Crusader fans a chance to see the Wellington girls on their sensational finish to the season.

The day opened with Wellington playing Clearwater, which had beaten the Dukes on three occasions including a 7-0 and a 3-1 three-inning shortened just the week before.

But this would be a different ballgame. After four scoreless innings, Wellington scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning. It started with a Peyton Adams double followed by a Ashley RBI single. Carlie McComb singled and McKenna Oathout bunted her way on to load the bases.

An error, a Ryleigh Buck single, Kailey Jenkins double and Hamel single would give Wellington a 5-0 lead.

Clearwater would shave the lead to three with a run in the bottom of the fifth and sixth. Wellington got an insurance run in the top of the seventh, when Jenkins doubled Oathout home.

Wellington then allowed two runs in the top of the seventh with one out, before retiring the final batter.

The Crusaders had nine hits to Clearwater’s seven. Both teams had four errors.

Mulvane would then beat Independence 4-0 to set up the championship.

Like the semifinal game, there was no scoring early. Mulvane broke the scoreless stalemate in the bottom of the fourth with a run. Wellington responded with a Buck RBI single that brought Collins home.

Mulvane added a run in the bottom of the fifth and then added four runs in the sixth.

The Crusaders, clearly in trouble, had to manufacture runs in the top of the seventh. It did just that.

After McComb reached base on error, Oathout singled, Hefley doubled, Buck doubled, and Hamel singled giving the Crusaders four runs. Mulvane would then retire the inning.

Wellington would get 11 hits against Mulvane and committed one error. Mulvane had eight hits and committed three errors. But that’s softball, Mulvane got the runs in at the right time.

Hefley was the winning and losing pitcher of both games.

Wellington loses a good group of seniors, but has a good nucleus of underclassmen coming up. The key in the off-season is finding a pitcher. Hefley will be hard to replace.

Reg semi-finals vs Clearwater

WHS. Â Â Â 0 0 0 0 5 0 1. Â Â 6. 9. 4

CHS. Â Â Â 0 0 0 0 1 1 2. Â Â 4. 7. 4

McComb. 1/4. 1 run

Oathout. 1/4. 2 run. Dbl

Hefley. Â Â 1/4

Buck. Â Â 0/4. Â 1 RBI

Jenkins. 2/4. 2 RBI. Dbl. dbl

Hamel. Â 1/4. 1 RBI

Mullen. Â 0/3

P Adams. 2/3. 1 run. Dbl

Collins. Â 1/3. 1 run. 1 RBI