SOFTBALL (4 games)

O’HARA SOFTBALL TEAM WIN TWO AND LOSE TWO The O’Hara softball team last week dropped two one-run games and won two contests handily. Grain Valley edged the Celtics 5-4 but on the following day, O’Hara was a 7-3 winner over Saint Teresa. Then came a 4-3 Conference loss to Warrensburg which in turn was followed by an 11-0 victory over Raytown South. O’Hara began the Grain Valley game with two first inning runs generated via hits by Jessie Smith, Andi Davis, and Alex Paulakovich. Grain Valley tied up the game in their half of the inning. In the fifth inning, Grain Valley scored three times behind five hits, two of which were doubles. The Celtics tried to catch up in the last inning but came up one run short. Their two tallies materialized behind singles by Jessie Smith, Patrice Jackson, Kellie Bachkora, and Alex Paulkovich. Pitcher Brittany Gallatin held Saint Teresa to three runs scored in the latter part of their game. Doubles by Jessie Smith and Lindsey Davis along with a single by Caitlin Croker brought in three third inning runs for the Celtics. Two more runs came in during the next inning in which two errors occurred. Finally O’Hara pushed across their last two runs of the game aided by hits by Jesse Smith and Caitlin Croker. In the close contest with Warrensburg, Melissa Batiz yielded a first inning run and three more in the third inning. She retired eleven of the last twelve batters, but her teammates only produced three runs. In the one-sided game with Raytown South, O’Hara scored in each of the first four innings and the game ended with the mercy rule. Patrice Jackson smacked two homeruns, a two-run shot in the first inning and a three-run shot in the third inning. In O’Hara’s last at bats, she had two additional RBI’s on a bases loaded double. Brittany Gallatin held the Cardinals to three hits and did not allow a runner to reach third base.