By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Southeast of Saline’s Lady Trojans battled to the very end of a low-scoring pitchers’ duel on Thursday, but came up a run shy of Silver Lake, falling in the regional final 4-3.
Karlee Zurfluh and Kendra Cook were both masterful in the circle, allowing just seven runs on eleven hits in a game that came down to a thrilling seventh inning.
Silver Lake wasted no time opening the scoring, as Kailyn Hanni led the game off with a walk, stole second, and came in to score on an RBI knock from Taylor Zordell.
SES quickly responded with a Kyiah Samuelson RBI single and a Kimber Ogorzolka solo shot to take a 2-1 lead in the second.
The Lady Eagles would flip that script two innings later when Kira Lowry drove a ball into the gap, plating two more runs to flip a one-run deficit to a one-run lead.
After surrendering those runs in the bottom of the first, Cook tightened the screws, setting down 15 batters in a row and taking a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Southeast did manage to get the bats going in the final frame, scoring a run on three singles, but the Lady Trojans left the tying run on second as the curtain fell on their season.
Silver Lake improves to 23-6, the defending state runners-up will have an opportunity to finish the job in Topeka next week.
For SES, another fantastic campaign comes to a close at 22-5.