The Orange Crush won a game against the Teal Tornadoes, 10-5, on June 14 in a 15-U Lawrence Girls Fast Pitch Assn. game at Holcom.

The Crush scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back, using a combination of strong hitting and aggressive base running to pick up the victory.

“I’m really proud of my batters because they were hitting much harder tonight,” Crush coach Dana Mollohan said.

Alex Mollohan, Alexis Scheibler, Courtney Kueser, Tennery Carttar and Jennifer Hughes all came around to score in the first inning for the Crush, as they quickly reached the league’s five-run-per-inning limit.

The Crush added five more in the second inning, which included Mollohan crushing a triple to left field. Shasta Conrad, Laci Hart, Mollohan, Scheibler and Kueser all scored runs in the inning.

Samantha Summers got the Tornadoes on the board with a run in the second inning.

Tornadoes batter Caitlin Beasley makes contact during a Lawrence Girls Fast Pitch Assn. game against the Orange Crush on June 14 at Holcom. The Crush won the game 10-5.

The Tornadoes kept the Crush in check the rest of the way, helped by some solid defense. Third baseman Madison Workman made a great catch to lead off the third inning, and Jessica Lluell had a nice catch at second base in the fourth inning.

The Crush also had some nice defensive plays of their own, including a catch by Kueser on a sharply hit line drive in the third inning.

The Tornadoes began to claw their way back in the third inning with runs by Kalee Forsythe and Korissa Gillespie and an RBI single off the bat of Steffanie Brown.

The game featured some drama in the fourth inning when Tornadoes player Ashley Morris was ejected for running over Crush catcher Corinna Deshazer. Although Morris didn’t appear to have any harmful intent, the league does not allow collisions, mandating that the players slide instead.

Emily Ball and Summers both scored for the Tornadoes in the fourth for the game’s final two runs.

Both coaching staffs were happy with the effort and quality of play from their teams.

“I know we have some things to work on, but this is a learning experience for them,” Tornadoes coach Mark Berryhill said. “Each game that goes by, they learn.”

“They’re bonding, and I think that’s great,” head coach Mary Beth Rettke added. “They’re out there having fun, and that’s what this is all about.”

Crush coach Mollohan pointed to her players’ execution of fundamentals as a positive from the game.

“I’m seeing a lot of progress learning the game of softball,” Mollohan said. “For example, smart base running, backing up throws and learning how to slide.”