Freshmen lead Columbia softball past error-prone Lancers

Columbia lost four core players from a softball team that won 25 games last season, but a new core has helped the Eagles get off to a 9-1 start in 2016.

Friday, a pair of freshmen paced the Eagles at Belleville East.

Lexi Touchette blasted a three-run home run as part of a five RBI day and Mikaela Kossina pitched her way around a bumpy fourth to lead the Eagles to the 12-6 win.

“We lost four four-year starters from last year, so there have been some big shoes to fill,” said Columbia coach Rhonda Major. “We’re very young and there have been times already where it would be easy for a young team to give up, but they’ve come together quickly. Lexi, Mikaela ... really everybody who has played has contributed something. I’m proud of the way this group has been able to play together.”

Kossina gave up four runs to the Lancers in the fourth but — with the support of a solid defense behind her — scattered just three hits and two runs through the other six innings. A bobbled ground ball with two out in the sixth was the Eagles only defensive lapse.

The Lancers defense gave pitchers Kristina Bettis and Tori Lonsdale no such support. East committed six errors in the game, leading to to eight unearned Columbia runs. It also left six runners on base.

Seven unearned runs on four errors similarly doomed the Lancers against O’Fallon Thursday.

"Our defense through every game except for the last two has been our strength and all of the sudden we’re the Bad News Bears,” said East coach Natlie Peters. “There are going to be errors, but obviously when it's five or six errors in a game, there's been some kind of mental lapse.”

Touchette twice made East pay for its defensive miscues. Her two-out second-inning home run drove in Kalli Farmer and Calli Wibbenmeyer, who both reached on errors. In the fifth, Farmer reached on a drop fly ball, then scored again on a two-out single by Touchette, to whom Major awarded the game ball.

“I honestly was just thinking ‘hit it,’” Touchette said of her home run. “I want the right pitch but I’m not really looking to do anything other than hit it hard. Our coaches tell us all the time to be prepared and confident and stay ready to play. That’s my only approach, really.”

The young Eagles will continue to be tested as they continue a competitive stretch of schedule with games next week against New Athens (9-1), Freeburg (9-1), Central (10-1), Granite City (4-8) and O’Fallon (7-2).

East started the season 7-2, but has won just once in its last four games. The Lancers have the weekend off before playing host to Southwestern Conference rival Edwardsville (7-2) Tuesday.

Key Moments

Columbia jumped on top in the first with RBI hits by Wibbenmeyer and Touchette. Touchette’s homer sparked a four-run second and an RBI single by Farmer in the fourth made it 7-0.

Amanda Dermody put East on the board in the bottom of the second when she hit a one-out triple and scored on a ground out by Kendall Patton.

Patton sparked a four-run fourth when she drove home Alex Boze and Brooke Laidley with a single. Quiozha Alexander then picked up an RBI on a safety squeeze and Jessica Belzer singled home another run to make it 7-5.

But four more unearned runs put the game out of reach in the fifth. Britney Edwards singled, Weilbacher doubled, and both scored on consecutive drops in the Lancer outfield. Wibbenmeyer hit a sacrifice fly to drive home Keeler VanBreugsen and Touchette singled home her fifth run.

Both teams scored single runs in the seventh.

Key Performances

Kossina allowed three more hits and a run through the final three innings to secure the win. Farmer, Columbia’s senior catcher, helped the freshman pitcher through some tight spots.

“I was a little nervous, but I try to just listen to my coaches and remember that I have good defense behind me,” said the freshman, who entered the game with a 3-1 record and 1.37 ERA. “Kalli came out a couple times and would just tell me to smile, keep my head up and focus on positive outcomes.”

Weilbacher was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored; VanBreugsen was 2-for-4 with three runs; Wibbenmeyer went 2-for-3 with three RBI.

For East, Dermody went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI; Patton was 1-for-4 with three RBI; and Lindsey Mossman was 2-for-4 with a run scored.

This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Freshmen lead Columbia softball past error-prone Lancers."