Being the two main pitchers on the team this season, sophomore Samantha Claire and junior Rylee Griffin wanted to step up and be great for the Cardinals this season.
“Me and Rylee came together and knew that we had the reins,” Claire said. “We just had to accept the fact that we are the two, and we have to come together and work together.”
With this in mind, both pitchers showed out in Thursday night’s doubleheader against De Soto. Griffin pitched all seven innings of a tight contest in game one and struck out five batters while Claire threw a shutout over six innings and struck out six in the second game.
The Cardinals won both games 6-3 and 10-0, respectively.
Claire said her shutout felt great and gave credit to the effort on defense for her performance.
“To be able to step up on the mound and just know that all eight players behind you have your back, it just feels great,” she said.
Griffin and Claire have only allowed seven runs combined across the team’s four games this season. Head coach Bill Finucane said if the two pitchers can keep their strong start going, it will help the team be successful down the stretch of the season.
“We want pitching to be effective and so far it has been, and that’s where we want it to stay and be consistent because that’s a big deal through the season,” Finucane said. “The less runs you give up, the better you are in the seeding.”
The Cardinals continued their strong start to the season on offense as well against De Soto. The team has scored 10 or more runs in three of their four games this season.
In both games Thursday, the Cardinals got off to fast starts. In game one, the team scored four runs in the second inning, and then in game two scored four runs in the third inning.
Sophomore Katie Courter said the team’s energy helped spark the early scoring in each game.
“Just us being up and excited in the dugout really carried to being on the field and to us producing runs,” Courter said.
Courter did it all for the Cardinals in game one as she had three hits, three stolen bases, scored three runs and drove in a run.
Courter said she just wants to give it all for the team every game.
“110 all the time,” she said. “If you mess up, you mess up, just give it your all.”
Sophomore Reese Pattison and junior Kenzie Yoder combined to drive in the rest of the team’s runs in game one. Yoder sparked the scoring in the second inning with a two-run double.
In game two, sophomore Jaiden Burris led the charge with three doubles and four RBIs in the game. Burris hit a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to end the game via the 10-run mercy rule.
Pattison also had two doubles, and Claire helped herself out by hitting a double that scored a run.
Now with a 4-0 record on the season, the Cardinals will look to keep rolling against Paola. Finucane said Paola is always a tough team to play.
“They’re a good team. They’re well coached,” he said. “There will be some athletes out here and we just want to make sure we keep doing the things we are doing so we can stay focused and compete with them.”
The Cardinals will face Paola in a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Reach reporter Jack Denebeim at [email protected].
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