By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
On Tuesday, the Chapman Lady Irish extended their winning streak to seven games, taking both contests in a tight sweep over the rival Abilene Cowgirls.
Game One: Chapman 6, Abilene 3
The opener of this two-game set was on pace to be a blowout after Kennedy Scholz and Olivia Harold each mashed a solo home run in the first, but the Cowgirls buckled down and kept things interesting for the duration.
Abilene strung together three straight singles in the top of the third to notch across three runs, taking a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the frame.
In the fourth, the Irish would find their stride offensively again with a hit parade of their own that saw Chapman plate four runs on a stretch of five singles and a walk.
That was all the run support Olivia Harold needed to shut things down, facing just ten batters to record the final nine outs.
Harold finished an excellent day in the circle, allowing just one earned run on six hits, walking one, and striking out twelve.
The second strikeout of her outing got her over the hump for a major milestone, as the sophomore recorded the 200th strikeout of her career.
At the plate, Kennedy Scholz finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 4-for-4 with two singles, a double, a home run, two runs scored and an RBI.
Game Two: Chapman 4, Abilene 2
The nightcap of this doubleheader was even closer than the opener, as Abilene again took an early lead, this time on an RBI groundout from Josie Keener in the top of the first.
Chapman jumped all over Cowgirl pitching in the home half, plating four runs in the first before their bats cooled, mustering just three hits and zero runs the rest of the way.
Abilene did get on the board again in the fifth inning on another RBI groundout, this time hit by Lizzie Brooks, but couldn’t find the runs needed to get back out in front, dropping a close 4-2 ballgame.
Kaylee Livingston and Olivia Harold split duties in the circle for game two, combining to allow just two runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out six.
With this doubleheader sweep, Chapman improves to 16-4 while Abilene slides to 5-17.
Both teams will conclude their regular season with an NCKL doubleheader against Wamego.
You can watch both of these games on-demand any time below.