Parkside 8, William Jewell 0
Parkside 5, Lewis 3
The Parkside softball team closed out their weekend at the Rosemont Dome Tournament with a pair of games against the William Jewell Cardinals and the Lewis Flyers. The Rangers came away with a shutout victory over the Cardinals, forcing the game to end after just five innings. The Flyers gave the Rangers more of a fight, taking the lead in the first inning before the Rangers would rally back and take the victory, winning five of their six games in this tournament.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED VS WILLIAM JEWELL
The Rangers got on the board in the top half of the first, with Cassie Rutledge doubling to left to score Taylor Delgado. A few plays later, Megan Medlin would hit an RBI single with the bases loaded to score Rutledge. A single for Jadynn Powell would plate two more, with Mia Johnson and Alex Wooten scoring on the play.
 
The Rangers would continue to add on in the third inning, with a sacrifice fly from Medlin scoring Johnson. An RBI single from Eden Welling would score Kiley Akey, giving the Rangers a 6-0 lead.
 
Parkside kept the offense rolling in the sixth inning, with Johnson stealing home on a wild pitch. Powell then doubled to deep center field to score Tai Gonzales and increase the Rangers lead to eight runs.
 
Akey was once again electric on the mound, allowing just two hits in her five-inning shutout performance. The Rangers would come away with an 8-0 victory after five innings. Every single hitter in the Rangers lineup reached base in the game, either by a hit or a walk.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED VS LEWIS
The Rangers missed out on an opportunity to get a run in the first inning, leaving runner stranded at first and third base. The Flyers tacked on two runs in the bottom of the first earning three straight hits to open the inning.
 
The Rangers wasted no time evening the score. With two on and two out in the top of the second, Rutledge doubled to score Rylee Baetz and Delgado to tie the game at 2-2. The Rangers kept the Flyers off the scoreboard in the bottom half of the second.
 
The Rangers took control of the lead in the fourth inning after a handful of throwing errors committed by the Flyers. The errors led to Powell, Baetz, and Delgado coming around to score and put the Rangers up 5-2.
 
The Flyers got one back in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single to center field. The Rangers got out of the rest of the inning without taking any more damage, and went into the sixth leading 5-3.
 
The Rangers defense would hold strong for the rest of the game, with Kaci Shickel pitching a complete game for the first time this season.
 
HEAR FROM COACH ORTMAN
"I could not have been happier with how this team played to open the final day of this tournament! Our lineup was aggressive from top to bottom and every single hitter found a way to get on base. Kiley pitched another really strong performance and has had an incredible weekend.
 
I was very proud of how we battled in the second game. Lewis got up on us early and our offense found a way to even it up right away. Kaci did a great job of settling in on the mound and we had some very smart baserunning that took advantage of a few throwing errors. I am very pleased with the outcome of this tournament and I am excited for our trip to McKendree and Maryville next weekend."
 
UP NEXT FOR THE RANGERS
The Rangers return to action on Friday, Mar. 3 as they will take on McKendree in a doubleheader. For more information, visit parksiderangers.com.