The Seneca and Diamond softball teams were coming off very different starts to the season when the two met Tuesday.
Diamond rolled to an 8-0 win over College Heights on Monday, while Seneca suffered a 14-0 loss Monday to Carthage.
Seneca, thanks to the bat of Beth Morris, picked up its first win of the season, beating visiting Diamond, 6-3.
“A lot of girls were playing varsity for the first time yesterday and they played nervous,” Seneca coach Jeff Sill said. “We battled through a little adversity and came back with confidence. With runners in scoring position, we got quality at-bats.”
Diamond struck first in the game, but Seneca answered with six straight runs to take command of the game and lock up the win.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third, the Lady Indians (1-1) came through with four runs in the inning and it was Morris, a junior, who came up with the big hit. The inning started with Courtnee Standlee drawing a walk, before Bree Cornett and Bailey Skelton had back-to-back infield singles to load the bases.
Morris, one of the few returning starters for Seneca, then stepped up and hit a double to the gap in left-center field to clear the bases. A throw home allowed Morris to advance to third base.
The next batter, Madi Lopez, singled to score Morris, making it 4-2.
In the two-run fifth inning, Morris sparked Seneca again. She led off with another double and then scored on another single by Lopez. Lopez later scored on Randa Butler’s RBI ground out.
“Beth came on strong at the end of last year and we really need her bat for us to be successful,” Sill said.
Diamond scored a run in the sixth inning on Laken Atkinson’s sacrifice fly, which scored Danielle Hext, who led off with a single.
In the seventh inning, the Lady Wildcats loaded the bases with one out, but couldn’t tie the game. Shae Miksell singled for the second time and was joined on the bases by Jennifer Dunlap and Emily Gilbert, who both walked. A ground ball led to an out at home and then a fly ball ended the game.
Diamond (1-1) scored its first two runs in the top of the third inning. Taryn Stevens walked and scored on Gilbert’s RBI single. Hannah Million, who drew after Stevens did, scored on a passed ball later in the inning.
