By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Southeast of Saline softball team battled to the very end but fell to Frontenac on a walk-off hit, dropping their quarterfinal contest 3-2.
The Lady Trojans conclude another stellar campaign at 22-4 while the Lady Raiders move on to face Wichita Trinity in Friday’s semifinals.
This contest was a pitcher's duel from the outset, and baserunners came at a premium thanks to Souhteast’s Lexi Jacobson and Frontenac’s Avery Johnson.
In the top of the third SES would strike first, utilizing small ball and a sac bunt from Maddie Harris to plate the first two runs of the game.
Frontenac wasted no time responding with a run of their own in the bottom of the third, but from there both pitchers locked things down from the circle.
When all was said and done, Avery Johnson would finish her day with 14 strikeouts, allowing just those two runs on four hits without issuing a single walk in the process.
Down to their final four outs, the Lady Raiders got a clutch RBI single from Skylar Hutchinson to tie the game at two going into the seventh.
After a quick 1-2-3 inning, Frontenac returned to the plate, where a leadoff single by Ella Sullivan set the stage for a dramatic finish.
Two groundouts put the potential game-winning run on third base, and in an effort to create a force at any bag, Southeast intentionally walked the next two batters.
That gamble almost paid off, but Avery Johnson managed to lift a ball into the gap in right-center, just out of the reach of two Lady Trojan outfielders, to bring in the game-winning run.
Despite being credited with the loss, Lexi Jacobson was excellent in the circle, allowing just two earned runs on six hits against a lineup that entered the postseason batting .400.
The Lady Trojans will say goodbye to the core of the Salina Adrenaline crew this offseason, having graduated Lexi Jacobson, Maddie Harris, Brielle Ptacek, Bryna Baird, Jayci Burghardt, and Brookelyn Adams.