June 29, 2024

SOFTBALL: Orient-Macksburg entered this week on four-game win streak

By Ryan Stonebraker
Orient-Macksburg's Mattie Thompson throws in from the outfield during a recent softball game against Nodaway Valley.

Orient-Macksburg's Mattie Thompson throws in from the outfield during a recent softball game against Nodaway Valley. (Dan Dickinson)

The Orient-Macksburg softball team found themselves within two wins of tying last year’s win total after they won three more games last week. Their current win streak is four.

The Bulldogs sat at 13-7 coming into this week with six games left in the regular season. They were expected to find out their postseason trail this week.

This is the fourth time since the 2008 season that a Bulldog team has earned 13 or more wins.

The Bulldogs were scheduled to play four games this week. They were scheduled to travel to Melcher-Dalls Tuesday and then host Murray Wednesday. Thursday, the Bulldogs were to start the Bluegrass Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs end the week with a game at Nodaway Valley on Friday.

The past week started well with a 16-13 shootout win over Bedford. The win was the fifth win in six non-conference games so far.

In a game between Bulldogs, O-M scored first with a pair of runs in the top of the first for a 2-0 lead. O-M led 4-3 in the third before a three-run third by Bedford gave them a 6-4 lead. O-M grabbed an 8-6 lead before another four-run inning in the fifth by Bedford to get the lead back at 10-8. Each team scored three runs in the sixth as the score was 13-11 after six innings. O-M erupted for five runs in the top of the seventh to take control of the game and get the win.

O-M had 14 hits in the game with Emma Boswell and Emily Campbell each with three hits. Campbell had three RBI and Boswell had two RBI. Each had a double in the game. Mattie Thompson, Ella Boswell and Shinn all had two hits. Boswell drove in three runs while Shinn had one RBI. Other hits came from Shinn and Kinsey Eslinger and each had an RBI. Eslinger got the win in four innings in relief of starter Ella Boswell. Eslinger gave up seven runs on six hits. Boswell would go three innings and struck out three, walked four, and gave up six runs on four hits.

On June 20, a 12-0 win over Moulten-Udell on senior night was a good way to honor seniors Tiffany Ott, Campbell, Eslinger, Brailee Shinn and Eslinger. The game ended after three innings due to the 12-run mercy run rule. The Bulldogs scored five runs in the first and six in the second inning to take an 11-0 lead early. Another single run in the third ended the game early.

Eslinger was the winning pitcher after facing 10 batters and giving up only two hits. She struck out one and walked one batter. The Bulldogs had 11 hits with five players collecting multi-hit games. Campebll was 3-for-3 with a double, two singles, two runs scored, and 3 RBI’s. Emma Boswell had a pair of doubles and an RBI, and scored twice. Osborne, Ella Boswell and Brailee Shinn all had two hits and combined to drive in six runs. Ella Boswell had a triple and two RBI while Shinn had a double and 3 RBI’s. Eslinger had a RBI as well. Brailee Shinn and Marissa Cass each had stolen bases in the game. The win was the fourth straight for O-M over M-U.

The next night, June 21, the Bulldogs beat Mormon Trail 13-3 in six innings. O-M broke a scoreless game open with a nine-run bottom of the second inning for a 9-0 lead. They added a single run in the third to extend their lead to 10-0 after three innings. Mormon Trail kept the game going with a run in the top of the fifth to set the score at 10-1 after five innings. The Saints got closer with two runs in the top of the sixth to get the score to 10-3. O-M put the game away with a three-run sixth to end the game by the 10-run mercy rule after six innings, 13-3. The win was the 15th straight over the Saints this year for the Bulldogs including a 15-2 win back on June 4th.

Kinsey Eslinger was the winning pitcher, winning for the second straight game after working six innings. She struck out five and did not walk a batter. She gave up three hits and faced 23 batters. The Bulldogs had eight hits in the game. Emily Campbell turned in her second straight three-hit game, going 3-for-5 with a double, run scored, and RBI to lead O-M. Emma Boswell was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk. Kasyn Shinn and Brailee Shinn each had one hit and one RBI. Shinn’s hit was a double. Ella Boswell also had a hit in the game. O-M was issued nine walks in the game with Mattison Thompson leading with three.