By Tim Schmidt Record Managing Editor When Kaylee Anderson smoked a fly ball to deep left, the Warrenton junior was unsure of just how far she hit it. “I thought it was going to hit off the …
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Warriors cruise to third GAC North crown
Posted
By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorWhen Kaylee Anderson smoked a fly ball to deep left, the Warrenton junior was unsure of just how far she hit it.“I thought it was going to hit off the fence,” she said. “I was trying to get to second as fast as I can.”A big smile came across her face as her sprint turned to a slow jog.Anderson blasted a two-run homer in the first inning, one of several big hits in the opening inning, as the Warriors cruised to a 15-0 three-inning victory at home last Thursday.Warrenton sent 20 batters up to the plate in the bottom of the plate and collected all 11 hits in the opening frame of the shortened contest. Anderson had two hits in the first inning.The Warriors’ hot bats at the start allowed them to wrap up their third consecutive Gateway Athletic Conference North Division title. The win improved their record to 20-2 overall and 9-0 in the conference standings. Senior catcher Abby Meyers was thrilled to be part of another GAC North championship team.“To know that we can make a difference in Warrenton means so much to us,” she said.Warrenton left no question it was the undisputed champion of the GAC North this fall.All 10 games in the conference were decided by the 10-run mercy rule with the exception of an 8-0 triumph over Orchard Farm near the start of the season.The Warriors outscored their GAC North foes 134-7, including seven shutouts. They concluded their conference schedule with a 15-2 win over St. Charles West Monday, a game that was postponed by rain Sept. 29.Head Coach Trevor Hibbs said his squad kept the same mindset throughout the season as the wins over foes kept piling up.“We came out and just executed,” he said. “We hit the ball, we played good defense. We made good pitches. We played good fundamental softball.”Eight of the nine starters had a hit in last Thursday’s victory, led by Amanda LaFaver, Kelsey Huenefeld and Anderson who each had two.Destinee Frost, in her second at-bat of the inning, blasted a three-run homer to left field to push Warrenton’s lead to 12-0.Huenefeld joined Anderson with multiple run-scoring hits in the frame. Others who had RBI hits included Jenny Jansen, Erica Rugh, Amanda Vehlewald and Meyers.“Our first nine, we all know any of us can hit the ball good,” Meyers said. “We all have confidence.”Senior right-hander Nordwald allowed just one hit in three innings of work. She struck out three and walked one.The conference crown is just one goal reached for the season, with higher expectations still on the horizon.Warrenton is hosting the Class 3, District 7 Tournament this week and is the top seed. The Warriors will open the postseason Thursday against the winner of Winfield and Liberty at 2:30 p.m.Tthe championship game is scheduled for Friday at 4:15 p.m.The sectional round will be played at the site of the District 7 winner, meaning the Warriors would be in line to play another game at home.As they have done all season, they are not looking too far down the road.“You have to keep it going one game at a time and keep focused on the task at hand,” Anderson.
Warrenton junior Kaylee Anderson blasts a two-run homer in the first inning Thursday. Tim Schmidt photo.
