The West Plains Lady Zizzers softball team shook off a difficult stretch to secure a 10-9 walk-off victory over Hartville on Sept. 30 at Zizzer Ballpark.
Trailing in the bottom of the seventh inning, Brooklyn White delivered the decisive blow, ripping a walk-off double that scored two runs to end the game.
West Plains collected 12 hits and four stolen bases against Hartville. Bailey Wake led the team with three hits, while Remini Williams drove in three runs.
The victory provided a welcome boost after the team struggled to generate offense in a pair of preceding losses: a 15-2 road defeat at Marshfield on Sept. 29 and a 10-0 loss at Branson on Sept. 24.
Against Marshfield, Sloane McNett launched a two-run home run to account for the Zizzers' scoring; collectively, she and Williams each recorded a hit. In the shutout loss to Branson, Gracie Young and Wake each picked up a hit.
"It was a tough couple of games for us against two strong opponents," West Plains assistant coach Madalyn Ivy said of the Marshfield and Branson matchups. "We struggled to generate enough offense against Branson and Marshfield, but the girls continued to compete and battle through both games."
Ivy noted Marshfield jumped out early and capitalized on opportunities while the Lady Zizzers had a hard time getting their offense going. But she was pleased with how the team rebounded the next day against Hartville.
"The biggest takeaway was how the girls responded: We came back the following day against Hartville and battled all the way to a walk-off 10-9 victory," Ivy said. "We had contributions throughout the lineup, played aggressively on the bases and found a way to keep fighting until the very last out."
Following the walk-off win, West Plains faced stiff competition at the Springfield Invitational held Friday and Saturday, dropping a pair of 17-run games. Rolla defeated West Plains 17-2 after an 11-run first inning, with Aubrey Ellison, Bella Bridges, McNett, Wake and Williams (one RBI) each recording a hit. Parkway Central then blanked the Zizzers 17-0, propelled by a 13-run second inning, despite hits from Morgan Russell, Molly Orr, White and Williams.
The recent action follows a challenging mid-September stretch for West Plains:
Sept. 22 vs. Bolivar: The Zizzers tied the game 1-1 in the first inning on an RBI fielder's choice by Orr, but visiting team Bolivar pulled away for an 8-3 win. Williams went 2-for-4, while McNett added an RBI. Roxie Bryant pitched six innings, allowing seven earned runs.
Sept. 21 at Rolla: West Plains took a 2-1 lead in the third inning on an RBI triple by Williams, but Rolla responded and pulled away for an 11-5 win. Williams went 2-for-4, and Ellison, Adilee Joyner and Cadence Tackitt each tallied an RBI. Bryant pitched 3 2/3 innings.
Sept. 15 vs. Logan-Rogersville: Logan-Rogersville broke open a close game with a seven-run third inning en route to a 17-0 victory. McNett, Ellison, Wake and Williams each recorded a hit. Bryant pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs.
Sept. 18-19 at Branson Festival: The Lady Zizzers went 0-5 at the Mary Arnold Festival in Branson. Ivy noted the event was set up in a round-robin format without a traditional championship or official final standings. Final game scores were unavailable.
