Pittsburg softball plated nine runs in the third and five more in the fourth to earn a 14-1 run-rule win in five innings Thursday against Southeast Kansas League foe Independence.
No. 1 and No. 2 batters Brecken Campbell and Brette Pasteur combined to score five runs, collect seven hits (including six for extra bases) and drive in 10 runs. Pasteur scored two runs, hit two home runs and a double and drove in four. Campbell finished with three runs scored, a home run and two triples and six RBI.
Kenleigh Warford, Emily Shriver and AnnaLynn Hudson also scored two runs. Warford doubled for the Dragons' extra-base hit not from the bat of either Campbell or Pasteur.
Breck Slaughter earned the win and she allowed one run (earned) on four hits with eight strikeouts and no walks over five innings.
Pittsburg improved to 14-4 overall and 9-1 SEK League. The Purple Dragons have two games Saturday against Kansas City Piper and Shawnee Mission Northwest. Pittsburg closes out league play next Monday and Tuesday on the road against Independence and Labette County; Pittsburg and Fort Scott both have one loss in league play and would share the league title if both teams win out.
"Just like you said, taking care of business," Pittsburg softball coach Chanc Gomez said. "We've changed our approach at the plate last couple weeks. I think if you go back and look at the runs scored what we have been, it's a big difference. We changed it laying off bad pitches and hitting our pitches and being concerted with that. You saw the one inning (Thursday) where we put up nine runs. Three bombs, two of them by Brette and then one by BC. When we hit our pitches, it's a difference.
"Two more league games, clinch a share. That's awesome. One of our goals is always the SEK. Then, we get ready for regionals. Hopefully, we host, which we should. We'll be back here and our top goal is to make it back to state. We're playing really well and we had five kids who didn't have varsity experience in the past. You're always wondering and worrying with that ... two sophomores and two freshmen playing, it's a big difference."
The Dragons are fourth in Class 5A East before weekend play.
"We're sitting pretty good with what we have schedule wise and what's out there," Gomez said. "I think we might be able to get to 2 (No. 2 seed). We should be able to get to 3. The East is always tough. You've got those Kansas City that play each other and beat each other around. You never know with their records and stuff. That's the thing, you've got to play every game like it's the last one. That's what our mindset has been last couple weeks after getting back from Arkansas.
"We played really well down in Arkansas (against Springdale Har-Ber and Farmington). We had a couple bad innings. We said that at this time in the season, it's one game at a time. It's showing as we're putting up a lot of runs on the scoreboard."
Three of the Dragons' four losses (Fort Scott, Har-Ber and Farmington) came against teams with a combined 61-11 record this spring.
Independence 001 00 — 1 4 2
Pittsburg 009 5x — 14 10 0
Trinity Wickline and Zoie Raida; Breck Slaughter and Peyton Morey. W: Slaughter. L: Wickline. 2B—IHS: Brooklyn Mattix; PHS: Brette Pasteur, Kenleigh Warford. 3B—IHS: Mattix; PHS: Brecken Campbell 2. HR—PHS: Campbell, Pasteur 2.
This sports reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/fund/support-local-journalism-project-fund/
