Lady Demon Softball sweeps Hays

Dodge City, KS(westernkansasnews.com) The Dodge City High School softball team started WAC conference play with a bang Thursday by sweeping Hays. The Lady Demons powered past the Lady Indians in game one 12-4 and rallied in the bottom of the seventh in game two to win 6-5.

Game one

Hays jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first following a couple of Dodge City errors. The Lady Demons answered in the bottom of the first with a two-run homerun by Grace Ruehle to cut the deficit to 3-2. Dodge City(6-2, 2-0) tied the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI single from Shaylyn Turner.

The Lady Demons took their first lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI sac fly from Zabree Rodriguez, making it 4-3. Hays(3-5, 0-2) would tie the game in the top of the fifth with a Madelynn Waddell RBI double. Dodge retook the lead in the bottom half with an RBI single from Raemie Lopp and a two-run homerun from Zabree Rodriguez to make it 7-4. They added five insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlight by another two-run homer from Grace Ruehle and a two-run single from Madison Armstrong.

Lopp(3-1) got the win going all seven innings allowing five hits and striking out six. Ruehle led the way at the plate, 2-2 two homeruns and 4 RBI. Rodriguez went 1-3 with 3 RBI.

Game two

Hays once again jumped out to a lead in the top of the first with an RBI single from Waddell and an RBI sac fly from Macee Altman to make it 2-0. Dodge City responded in the bottom half with an RBI groundout from Ruehle and two-run homer from Maddie Kalscheur to make it 3-2. The Lady Indians tied the game in the third with a Reanna Harman sac fly then added two runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead.

Hays held that lead going into the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and two runners on the rally started for Dodge City. Elise Helfrich had an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-4 then Shalyn Turner followed suit with an RBI single to tie the game at 5. Freshman Raemie Lopp then came to the plate with runners on first and second and two outs. Lopp hit a chopper back up the middle for a game winning RBI single.

Raegan Lopp(3-1) got the win giving up five hits and striking out three. Kalscheur went 1-3 with a homerun and 2 RBI. Raemie Lopp and Elise Helfrich both went 2-4 with an RBI.

Dodge City is off until Thursday April 12 when they host Heights for a doubleheader.