Lady Beaver softball season ends at state

Salina, Kan. (westernkansasnews.com)–For the first six innings, the Scott City Lady Beavers were the team that played nearly flawless defense. The last two innings would see errors catch up with the Lady Beavers, as their push towards winning their first-ever state tournament game would fall short in extra innings, falling 6-3 to Andale/Garden Plain in eight innings in the Class 4A State quarterfinal round at Salina South High School.

Scott City got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. A two-out triple by Malorie Cupp, followed by an RBI single by Cheyenne Cramer to give the Lady Beavers an early 1-0 lead. Andale/Garden Play responded in the second inning with two outs, as they tied the game on a Bella Cates RBI single that scored Kaylee Altman.

In the third inning, the Lady Beavers would take advantage of a pair of Lady Indian errors. Cupp would single in Crissa Irvin, and Peyton Gentry scored on a throwing error.

The score would remain 3-1 through six innings. A Scott City error pulled Andale/Garden Plain to within 3-2 with one out. Down to their final out, an Elsie Johnson RBI single would tie the game at three. The Lady Beavers went down in order in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Things unraveled for the Lady Beavers in the eighth inning, all coming with two outs. Three errors in the inning propelled the Lady Indians to score three runs on just one hit to jump out in front 6-3. Scott City got a leadoff walk, but that would be all they could produce in the bottom of the eighth, as they fell 6-3.

Elsie Johnson and Kaylee Altman had an RBI and two hits for Andale/Garden Plain. Jayna Lies gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits and struck out three in eight innings pitched. Cheyenne Cramer took the loss, giving up six runs, three earned, on seven hits and struck out nine batters. Malorie Cupp had three hits and Cramer had two for the Lady Beavers.

Scott City closes their season at 19-4. It closes out the best run in program history, as they played in four regional finals, three state tournaments, and closed with a 75-17 record over four seasons. Prior to 2021, the Lady Beavers had made the regional final just twice.