By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
The Salina Central softball team swept their cross-town rivals on Tuesday, taking down the Lady Cougars in both matchups to improve to a perfect 8-0 on the year.
Game One: Salina Central 2, Salina South 0
The opener of this two-game set was a true pitcher’s duel, with Sophia Johnson and Ella Chamberlain going pitch for pitch until the final out.
Central would be the first, and only team to get on the board, plating a pair of runs in the fourth inning on a Lilly VanZant RBI triple, and an Ellie Riekhof RBI double.
From there, Sophia Johnson continued her gem, slamming the door shut on a complete-game shutout that saw her allow just three hits and zero walks while striking out four.
Chamberlain may have recorded the loss, but looked spectacular as well, holding Central to a pair of runs on eight hits, striking out two without surrendering a walk.
Game Two: Salina Central 5, Salina South 4
The nightcap saw the bats come alive, with a combined nine runs on 16 hits in a back-and-forth battle.
Both teams stranded runners on third in the first inning, and had opportunities to score in an empty second.
In the top of the third the Lady Cougar bats came alive, notching two of their three runs on a Maddy Werner RBI double.
Central answered back in the bottom of the third, tying the game at 3 with a string of four straight hits to chase Paityn Fritz from the circle.
Each side found an additional run in the fifth inning, as Delaney Harris drove in Maria Alicia-Martinez for South, and VanZant brought in Charlotte Gordon on another RBI double for Central.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Mustangs finally got their first lead on the most chaotic play of the day.
Hannah Peckham laid down a sacrifice bunt in an effort to move Reagan Kraft to second base. The sacrifice worked, but Kraft rounded second, forcing an errant throw that found itself into a now-vacant left field.
From there, Kraft scampered around third and slid safely into home, scoring the decisive run to secure a 5-4 win for the Lady Mustangs.
Sophia Johnson collected her second win of the day out of the bullpen, tossing three innings of one-hit shutout ball without allowing a single walk.
With this doubleheader sweep, Central remains perfect at 8-0 while South falls to 6-4.
You can watch both of these games on-demand any time below.