By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
HAYS – The TMP-Marian Monarchs softball team earned a split doubleheader Thursday afternoon with the Hays High Indians at Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex.
GAME 1: TMP 13, Hays 11
The Monarchs' Brynn Rebel got the offense started in game
one, hitting a solo home run on the second pitch, as part of a six-run first
inning.
TMP added runs in the inning on Brooke Koenigsman and Adison Watson RBI singles, an error, and a pair of stolen bases for a 6-0 lead after one inning.
The offensive output carried over for the Monarchs in the second inning when Koenigsman converted her second straight RBI single. Bria Windholz added an RBI single of her own, and then with two outs, TMP’s Teagan Gottschalk and Raegan Allen hit back-to-back RBI singles to put TMP up 10-0 through an inning and a half.
Hays’ Brynlee Brous led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run. The first of five home runs for Hays cutting TMP’s lead to 10-1.
Brynlee Rupp’s first of two home runs opened the third inning, trimming TMP’s lead to 10-2. Hays added a third run on a Lauren Klein RBI groundout.
TMP added two more insurance runs in the fifth on a Brooke Koenigsman double and a Paige Koenigsman RBI single for a 12-3 TMP lead.
Rupp led off the bottom of the fifth with her second home run, and Riley Dreher followed with a single home run, making it 12-5 TMP.
An Avery Solida RBI single closed the inning with a 12-6 TMP lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Hays scored on an error and loaded the bases for Avery Soliday, whose grand slam brought Hays within one at 12-11 in the bottom of the sixth inning.
TMP added one more run on an error at the top of the sixth inning for a 13-11 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Hays loaded the bases but failed to score as TMP picked up its 19th straight win.
Brynn Rebel allowed 11 runs, four earned, with nine hits in seven innings.
TMP’s Brooke Koenigsman finished three-for-five with three RBI and three runs scored.
Hays, as a team, connected on five home runs. Avery Solida drove in five runs.
GAME 2: Hays 6, TMP 3
The Indians scored
four runs in the sixth inning and rallied for a 6-3 win in game two.
The first two innings of the second game of the doubleheader belonged to the pitchers as TMP starter Bria Windholz and Hays starter Riley Dreher matched each other through two innings.
Windholz didn’t allow a hit through the first three innings, and the Monarchs opened the scoring in the top of the third inning.
Brynn Rebel singled a run home, putting TMP up 1-0.
Then two batters later, Paige Koenigsman doubled home two runs, giving TMP a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning.
It took Hays High until the bottom of the fourth inning to scratch across their first run, on Rylynn Davis’ two-out double for a 3-1 deficit.,
Hays got closer to snatching the lead back from the Monarchs, scoring on an RBI groundout by Zimmerman.
After TMP was retired in the top of the sixth, Hays struck big, scoring 4 times in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Hays tied the game at three runs each on a live drive to center field by Brynlee Brous.
An error by the pitcher, Rebel, in the next at-bat allowed Hays to score the go-ahead run.
Leading 4-3, Lauren Klein connected on a two-run home run, putting Hays up 6-3, and they went on to win by that score.
Riley Dreher earned the win, allowing just three runs on four hits with two strikeouts.
Bria Windholz suffered the loss. She allowed all four runs, three earned with six walks and one strikeout.
TMP out hit the Indians 4 to 3.
Paige Koenigsman (drove in two runs for TMP).
Hays High’s Lauren Klein homered and drive in a pair of runs.
TMP (19-1) will travel to Salina Sacred Heart on Monday.
Hays (10-8) will travel to Liberal on Tuesday.