LHS softball absorbs loss

photo by: John Young

Lawrence High senior Audrina Hidalgo (10) puts the tag down on Olathe Northwest's Shayna Espy as Espy tries to steal third base during their softball game Tuesday at LHS.

With severe storms looming over Lawrence High’s home softball showdown with unbeaten Olathe Northwest on Tuesday evening, the Ravens provided all the thunder necessary to make for a long night for the Lions, who fell 15-0 in four innings.

After school officials moved the game up an hour in anticipation of the bad weather, the Lions and Ravens barely got started before a 35-minute rain delay removed both teams from the field. However, that short window was enough time for the Ravens (11-0) to open up a huge lead, and by the time the two teams resumed play just before 5:15 p.m., Northwest took the field for the restart with an 8-0 cushion.

“We figured that would take more from them than it did from us,” LHS coach Joe Dee Tarbutton said of the delay. “But they’re such a good team and so well-coached that they came back out and kept putting runners on.”

Following the delay, Northwest picked up where it left off, plating four more runs in the top of the second inning to build a 12-0 lead through an inning and a half. Several ONW runs came as the result of walks from LHS starter Sydney O’Brien, who allowed the Ravens to load the bases and then walked in two runs and gave up a two-RBI double to Northwest’s Mady Young before LHS managed to get out of the inning. The Lions flashed some strong defense between third and home to prevent Young’s double from clearing the bases.

Samantha Mills, whose throwing error in the top of the third on what would have been the third out of the inning allowed the Ravens to add to their lead, responded from that miscue with some strong defense in the final two innings.

Not to be outdone, Northwest thwarted the Lions’ attempt to extend the game in the bottom of the fourth, when second baseman Abby Julo smothered a lined shot from LHS’s Megan Williams and then flipped to Kaity Kuwoski on the bag at second for the force out of O’Brien, who reached with an infield single, and the 4-6-3 double play. One pitch later, Lawrence’s Kampbell Kilburn doubled to left field, but with nobody on the Lions remained stuck at zero and the game ended via the mercy rule one batter later.

“Their pitchers were just hitting their spots and we couldn’t hit ’em,” Kilburn said of the Lions’ rough night at the plate.

That was particularly true against ONW starter Aubree Herrin, who was taken out of the game after getting hit by a pitch in the third inning. Although the Lions (5-8) fared better against ONW reliever Natalie Hamm, the Ravens’ defense made sure to beat the rain and, as the severe weather threatened throughout the game, the Lions never did.

In an attempt to put more speed closer to the action, Tarbutton said he flipped his outfield and infield at the start of the game.

“It worked out all right,” he said. “But we just need to get more consistency from the circle. And that’s what we’re working on.”

Added the freshman Kilburn, who said she was proud of the way the team stayed together and kept fighting: “We just have to stay positive throughout the game and I thought we did. Now we just have to make sure we learn from our mistakes and those errors.”

To that end, even with the severe weather closing in, the Lions were back on the field taking infield and working in the outfield while the victorious Ravens boarded their bus back home.

Olathe NW 842 1 — 15 11 0

Lawrence 000 0 — 0 2 3

W — Aubree Herrin. L — Sydney O’Brien.

2B: Kampbell Kilburn, LHS.

LHS highlights: Kampbell Kilburn 1-for-2, 2B; Sydney O’Brien 1-for-2.