ShawneeDispatch.com

The record didn’t indicate it, but all season long Mill Valley softball coach Heather Whitcomb insisted her team was good.

It was just a matter of time, she’d say, until her squad proved it.

Wednesday was that night.

Mill Valley squared off with Lansing, one of the Kaw Valley League’s most dominant teams of the past few years. The Lady Jags faced the league’s most feared pitcher in LHS junior Brittney Lang.

They heard from those who said they couldn’t beat Lansing, and they proved those critics wrong.

Mill Valley mustered just two hits off of Lang in the opener, but it capitalized on two late errors and squeaked out a 2-0 win. Then in the nightcap the Lady Jags rallied from an early deficit and used a clutch two-run double by senior Kayla Manchion to claim a 5-4 victory at the 3&2 West Complex.

“I’m so ecstatic; I don’t even know how to put it into words,” said pitcher Ashley Jones, who threw both games and capped her Senior Night with a pair of dramatic victories. “Just the fact that we’ve been struggling the entire season to pull that second game out for ourselves, and we finally did it. We’ve had it in us the whole season, and we finally got it.”

The Wednesday night sweep was the Lady Jags’ first of the year after splitting their last four twinbills, and they had to work extra hard to do it.

“I think they just came out wanting it, not saying they wanted it more tonight than any other night, but you could see it in their faces. They came out ready to play,” Whitcomb said of her squad.

Lang had 13 strikeouts in the opener and allowed just one hit during the first five innings — a single to right field by junior catcher Madison Hargrove. Meanwhile, Jones scattered seven hits and struck out six. She got into a few jams but emerged unscathed. Lansing’s Mallory Barnhouse smashed a leadoff triple in the third but was unable to score. The Lions were unable to score a runner from third in the fifth inning when sophomore Miranda Fields made a diving catch in center field for the third out, and they stranded the bases loaded in the top of the sixth.

“I told them in the very first inning in our huddle, I said defense is going to win this game, and they went out and they gave me everything they had on defense,” Whitcomb said, noting that her team played error-free ball all night.

After hanging around all game, Mill Valley seized the moment in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman Katie Yoder hit a leadoff single. Sophomore Ariel Mull laid down a sacrifice bunt, but the throw was wide. Yoder rounded second and eluded a run-down when a throw to third sailed wide. That allowed Yoder to score and Mull to advance to second. Mull moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior Tara Heinrich, and she then scored on a fielder’s choice ground ball by Hargrove.

The damage was done, and the Lady Jags claimed victory.

Lansing opened game two on fire. Amanda Darrow ripped a leadoff single. She scored on a double by Rachel Milnark, and Milnark scored on a double by Lang.

The Lions’ 2-0 lead stood until the bottom of the third when the Lady Jags answered. Fields, Mull and Heinrich hit consecutive singles. All scored, and Mill Valley took a 3-2 lead.

Lansing continually scattered hits, but Mill Valley made plays when necessary. Lansing got four straight singles in the fifth inning as Darrow, Barnhouse, Milnark and Lang all reached base, but only one run scored and the game was tied at 3-3.

The Lady Jags capitalized again in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore Ashton Sparks hit an infield single off of Milnark. Junior Sydnie Gerber bunted and reached base on a throwing error. Then Manchion crushed a two-run double to deep center field that allowed both runners to score.

Mill Valley’s lead wasn’t safe just yet. Milnark hit a solo homer that hooked just inside the right field foul pole with one out and trimmed the Lady Jags’ lead to 5-4. Jones got the next batter to ground out to Heinrich before striking out the final one to cap the victory.

The sweep was Mill Valley’s first of the season, and it also gave the Lady Jags their first winning streak of the year. They beat Bishop Ward 2-0 on Tuesday night, so they’ve now won three straight.

“We’re peaking great right here,” Jones said with a grin.

Her coach agreed.

“I still think they’re a great team,” she said of her squad. “I’ve thought it from the very beginning, and now it’s all come together and we’re good to go. I still, to this day, believe they’re a great team, and they’re going to get it together for next week.”

Mill Valley improved to 7-9 with the sweep. Lansing fell to 11-7. The Lady Jags close out the regular season at 4 p.m. Thursday against Shawnee Heights at Lake Shawnee in Topeka. They’ll begin postseason play next week in the Class 5A regional tournament and try to earn a trip to state.

Post a comment

ShawneeDispatch.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

Requires free ShawneeDispatch.com registration.