CAIRO, Mo. -- The South Callaway Lady Bulldogs faced two state-ranked teams in the Cairo SB Tourney Saturday, falling 11-3 to the Class 4 No. 10 Kirksville Tigers in the opening round and 9-3 to Callaway Cup foe, the Class 2 No. 9 North Callaway Ladybirds at Northeast (Cairo) High School.
In the opening round, South Callaway (5-7) lost the lead late to Kirksville (9-6). The game was tied at 2 with the Tigers batting in the bottom of the fourth when Amber Dierling homered on a 2-2 count, scoring two runs.
The Lady Bulldogs struggled to put runs on the board and had a tough time defending Kirksville, giving up 11 runs.
South Callaway started things in the first inning when Haley White singled on a 1-0 count, scoring two runs.
The Tigers knotted the game up at 2 in the bottom of the second inning when Paishynce Fouts doubled on a 0-1 count, scoring one run.
Kirksville pulled away for good with seven runs in the fourth inning. In the fourth, Mallory Lymer singled on a 1-2 count, scoring two runs and Fouts doubled on a 2-1 count, scoring one run.
Brianna Elsea was the winning pitcher for the Tigers. The hurler surrendered three runs on three hits over six innings, striking out six.
McKenzie Laughlin took the loss for the Lady Bulldogs. Laughlin went 5⅔ innings, allowing 11 runs on 14 hits and striking out two.
Kelsey Wetherell, White and Laughlin each managed one hit to lead South Callaway.
Kirksville tallied 14 hits in the game. Jada Jackson, Fouts, Lymer, Dierling and Adison Baumgartner each racked up multiple hits for the Tigers. Kirksville didn't commit a single error in the field. Dierling had the most chances in the field with seven.
Taking on district opponent North Callaway (10-5), the Lady Bulldogs lost a heartbreaker. The game was tied at 3 with the Ladybirds batting in the top of the sixth when Abigail Schmidt singled on the first pitch of the at-bat, scoring two runs.
South Callaway struggled to contain the high-powered offense of North Callaway, giving up nine runs.
After the Ladybirds scored one run in the top of the second, the Lady Bulldogs answered with one of their own.
Olivia Knoepflein earned the victory in the pitcher's circle for North Callaway. The fireballer surrendered three runs on eight hits over six innings, striking out three.
Kinslee Rhoades took the loss for South Callaway. Rhoades allowed 11 hits and nine runs over six innings, striking out five.
The Lady Bulldogs racked up eight hits on the day. Wetherell and Laughlin all managed multiple hits for South Callaway. Wetherell went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Lady Bulldogs in hits.
The Ladybirds tallied 11 hits in the game. Knoepflein, Ella Slater and Abigail Schmidt each had multiple hits for North Callaway. Knoepflein led the Ladybirds with three hits in three at-bats. North Callaway was sure-handed in the field and didn't commit a single error. Lia Bondurant had the most chances in the field with nine.
South Callaway (1-2 Show-Me Conference) takes on Class 3 No. 1 Fatima (7-2, 2-0 Show-Me) in a Show-Me matchup at 5 p.m. Monday in Westphalia. It'll be the last-ever Show-Me meeting between the Lady Bulldogs and Comets.