Prep Softball: North Callaway 10, Westran 0

MONTGOMERY CITY, Mo. - Junior starter Hanna Knipp threw a one-hit shutout as the No. 3 seed North Callaway Ladybirds whipped the No. 5 Westran Lady Hornets in five innings in first-round play at the Class 2, District 8 Tournament on Wednesday night.

Knipp (3-1) struck out three and walked none in going the distance for the victory.

"Hanna will do anything you ask of her," North Callaway head coach Brandi Thomsen said. "She's the epitome of a team player. I asked her to give us as many innings as she could and she ran through the whole thing."

The Ladybirds (16-8) now move on to a semifinal showdown against No. 2 seed and Eastern Missouri Conference rival Montgomery County (16-7) at 6:30 tonight. North Callaway lost to the Lady Wildcats 4-3 during the regular season, but the Ladybirds edged Montgomery County 3-2 in the semifinals of the EMO Tournament last Saturday and went on to capture the title.

In the first District 8 semifinal at 5 p.m. today, top-seeded Centralia (23-1) plays No. 5 Hallsville (9-10).

North Callaway broke a scoreless tie Wednesday night with three runs in the third inning. The Ladybirds tacked on a run in the fourth and then took control behind a six-run outburst in the fifth.

Sophomore center fielder Lani Wilson finished 1-for-3 with a double, two runs batted in and scored a run as North Callaway collected seven hits. Junior catcher Erica Garrett also went 1-for-3 with two RBI, while junior left fielder Carley VanBoening was 2-for-3 and scored twice.

Freshman designated player Clara Moser finished 1-for-2 and hit her first career home run for the Ladybirds when she led off the third with a solo shot. Moser also had two RBI.

"It took us a little while to adjust to their pitcher, but then we showed a lot of discipline at the plate."