By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
ELLIS – The TMP-Marian Monarchs softball team advanced to the 2-1A Ellis regional finals Tuesday with a big win over Republic County and then they rallied to knock off the host Ellis in the semifinals.
Game 2, Regional semifinals: TMP 14, Ellis 13
The Monarchs rallied twice, the final time from down six, on
their way to a 14-13 win over the Ellis Railroaders in the final game of the
day in Ellis.
Ellis broke onto the scoreboard first, scoring four runs in the first inning.
Kaydawn Haag gave Ellis an early 2-0 lead, she hit her fourth home run in three games against TMP in the first inning. Ellis pushed two more runs across the plate in the inning for a 4-0 lead.
Haag kept the Monarchs bats at bay for three innings before TMP broke through in the top of the fourth, scoring on the first of two Jaci VonLintel triples. Two hitters later Karli Komarek drove in VonLintel with her first of four RBI base hits in the contest, making it 4-2.
Trailing 4-2 the Monarchs took the lead in the top of the fifth inning scoring three times.
Brooke Koenigsman doubled home the first run of the inning. Addison Watson scored Koenigsman on an infield single and then Komarek doubled Watson home putting TMP up 5-4.
The Monarchs lead was short-lived though as Hannah Schiel hit a grand slam in the bottom of the inning putting Ellis up 8-5. They tacked on three more in the inning and led 11-5 through five innings.
In the top of the sixth inning TMP sent 12 hitters to the plate, scoring seven runs and taking a 12-11 lead.
The inning started when Sophie Allen reached on an error, she came around to score on three straight wild pitches.
Madison Augustine, who walked, came in to score on an error making it 11-7 Ellis.
Then with two on, VonLintel connected on her second RBI triple making it 11-9 Ellis.
Two batter later Komarek produced another RBI double pulling TMP within one at 11-10.
Nicole Schumacher followed with a double of her own, scoring Komarek, tying the game at 11.
Allen then gave the Monarchs the lead in the next at bat with an RBI single, making it 12-11 TMP.
The Monarchs added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a Komarek double and they also scored on an error for a 14-11 lead.
In the bottom of the inning Ellis scored on an error and a groundout but a flyout to left ended the game with the tying run at third as TMP clinched the 14-13 victory.
Madison Augustine earned the win, she allowed 13 runs, 10 earned, on 14 hits with three walks and three strikeouts in a complete game victory.
Komarek finished with a career-best four hits and four RBI’s with three doubles. VonLintel drove in three with a pair of triples and Koenigsman collected four hits for the second time this season.
Game 1, Regional quarterfinals: TMP 15, Republic Co. 5
(5innings)
The Monarchs opened the first game of the day scoring in every
inning on their way to a 15-5 run-rule victory over the Republic County
Buffaloes.
TMP jumped out to a 2-0 lead scoring on a VonLintel sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout from Adison Watson in the bottom of the first.
The Buffaloes tied the game with two runs in the top of the second.
With the game tied at two the Monarchs blew the game open with a five-run second.
Hannah Garcia got the scoring started in the inning with an RBI single. Brooke Koenigsman added an RBI single of her own that scored two runs for a 5-2 TMP lead.
TMP added two more on an error for a 7-2 lead.
The Monarchs scored four more times in each the third and fourth innings on their way to the 15-5 victory.
Koenigsman and VonLintel each drove in four runs. VonLintel was three-for-three at the plate.
Halle Dreiling also drove in three.
Augustine earned the win for TMP. She allowed five runs, just two earned with five strike outs and two walks in five innings.
TMP improves to 15-7 and will take on Ell-Saline in the regional final Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Ellis.
Ell-Saline beat Little River 4-3 in their first regional game and followed that with an 11-1 win over Bennington. Ell-Saline is 17-3.