ShawneeDispatch.com

Even the wind couldn't cool off the Shawnee Mission Northwest softball team last week.

Behind the torrid hitting of junior Kasey Martin and the overwhelming pitching of junior Kim Jones, the Cougars dominated Shawnee Mission South and Shawnee Mission East, posting four consecutive victories against their Sunflower League opponents -- often in windy conditions that blew pitchers off mounds and batters out of their boxes.

"Communication is the key in weather like this," Northwest coach Mark Balderston said. "You've got to be talking out there. You need to know the spin of the ball. It's a lot of 'what-if?' out there."

And the Cougars played 'what-if?' better than their opponents last week.

Against South, the story was Jones, who struck out the first seven batters she faced and saw more than three batters in only one inning the entire game. However, South pitcher Meredith Mitcher was throwing a gem of her own, holding the Cougars scoreless through the first four innings.

In the top of the fifth, after having become accustomed to Mitcher's delivery -- and the effect of the wind that had forced batters to call 'time' several times -- the Cougars drew first blood. First, senior second baseman Amber Freeman smashed a triple over the centerfielder's head and came home on a throwing error to make the score 1-0. Junior centerfielder Katie Smith then lined a single through the hole at third and short and took third on another Raider error. One out later, freshman shortstop Summer Kelley doubled into left field and scored Smith and was brought home by the next batter, Martin, who singled down the left field line to make the score 3-0 after five.

The Cougars exploded for four more in the top of the seventh and from there Jones delivered a 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning and the Cougars moved to 4-1 for the year.

For the game, Jones pitched a no-hitter, going seven strong innings and striking out 14 of the 23 batters she faced.

Meanwhile, on offense, Smith was three-for-five with a double and two RBIs, Jones was two-for-three, Martin was two-for-three, and Scanlon went two-for-four.

After the game, Jones talked about pitching in the windy conditions.

"It's hard," Jones said. "It'll blow you off the mound. You have to wait so your catcher can see.

Smith echoed Jones' sentiments.

"It sucks," she said. "Especially when you're up to bat. It's hard to concentrate."

In the second game, the Cougars took little time in taking control of both the wind and the Raiders, winning 16-1 in three innings. Freeman led the way offensively, going three-for-three with a double, three runs, and two RBIs. Kelley went two-for-four with two runs and two RBIs, while Martin continued her hot streak, going two-for-three with a double, two runs and an RBI.

By Thursday the winds had died down some for the Cougars date with East but were still gusty. Yet it would have taken a hurricane blowing plateward to keep the balls Northwest hit in the infield.

The Cougars jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Five of the first six Northwest batters slapped singles to put the Cougars up 2-0. After a bases-loaded walk to Jones brought home another run, the Lady Cougars pushed the lead to 5-0.

After Amanda Jobe began the fifth inning with a walk, Martin moved her to third by clobbering a double off the wall. One out later, a Katy Sonjy single brought home Jobe, making the score 7-0. A looping single by Jones then loaded the bases. One out later, Freeman cleared the bases with a double over the centerfielder's head -- ending the game on a run-ruled decision 11-0.

Incredibly, Jones improved on her no-hit performance from two nights earlier by posting a perfect game against the Lancers. She faced the bare minimum of batters in a five-inning contest (15) and struck out 13 of them. She owed her perfect game, at least in small part, to Freeman who, in the top of the third inning, made a diving stop on Stacy Gollub's liner and then backhanded it on her belly to Jobe at first base for the out.

Offensively, Freeman was two-for-three with a double and four RBIs. Sonjy was three-for-three with two RBIs, while Martin went two-for-three with a double.

Northwest cruised in Game 2, winning 8-1. Jones again earned the win, going seven innings, giving up just one run (her first earned run of the season) and allowing three hits while striking out 11.

Martin was the offensive star for Northwest, pounding out four hits in four at-bats with a home run and four RBIs. For the day, Martin was six-for seven against the Lancers with four RBIs and three runs scored. For the week Martin was 10-for-13 with five runs scored and five RBIs.

All the offense has been something Balderston has taken notice of.

"The kids have been hitting well," Balderston said. "They're hitting .390 as a team. They've been really disciplined at the plate. They're being smart hitters."

The team has also been patient and understanding with the defensive changes that Balderston made after the the loss to SM West, the fruits of which appear to be ripening at just the right time -- with Olathe East looming sometime after prom.

"The team has responded very well," Balderston said. "We've cut our errors down significantly and I think Summer Kelley has played very well at shortstop. It was a team decision, not an individual decision, and I think it shows the athletic maturity of these girls to make it."