Olathe South hands Lady Buffs Loss at State 3-1

Overland Park, KS (westernkansasnews.com) Two years ago the Garden City Softball Team had their season end losing to the eventual state champion Washburn Rural 7-4 in the 6A State Quarterfinals. This year the Lady Buffs played the defending state champion Olathe South.  Although it remains to be seen if the Falcons repeat, the results were the same 3-1.

Game Highlights

Olathe South scored an unearned run in the first inning on shortstop Jenna Greenlee’s overthrow at first after fielding Falcon second baseman’s Lindsay Delana’s grounder.  Abigail Weber crossed the plate to make it a 1-0 game.

Garden answered back with a two out run in the second on Kaci Finch’s RBI triple to left center  off Falcons starting pitcher Lexi Storrer.  The hit scored third baseman Laura Farmer evening the game at 1-1.

Lady Buffs starting pitcher  Abbie Dart did not display the type of power pitching that led her to an 18-2 record and school record 220 strikeouts.  Of course she was also facing a lineup that .428 average and 27 homers.

Dart gave up seven hits, but the player that gave her headaches all game long was Falcon catcher Kala Holder.  Holder reached base four times and was a perfect 3-for-3 including the go ahead run scoring single in the third and another RBI single in the fifth.  Dart allowed three runs, two earned, struck out six and walked three.

Storrer was a strikeout machine finishing with 14 including three of Dart, Garden City’s best hitter coming in and with only four strikeouts the entire season coming in.  The Falcon righty allowed only two singles from the third inning on.

Garden City ends their season at 20-3.  Olathe South (21-2) has a rematch with Olathe Northwest in Thursday’s semifinal a team that beat the champs earlier in the season.