Softball finishes season at district tourney

The Lady Longhorn softball team wrapped up its season at the C-6 District Tournament last week.
Kearney Catholic hosted this year’s double-elimination tournament Oct. 9-10.
Chase County was eliminated on the first day after back-to-back losses to Ord and Southern Valley.
“In any sport you play, it’s in those close or tight games that the little things don’t necessarily cause the outcome, but it certainly contributes to it,” Head Coach Denise Smith said.
“It’s like the missed free throw at the end,” she added. “Well, yeah, certainly the missed free throw would have potentially won for you, but it was everything leading up to that point that lost the game for you.”
Ord
The Longhorns went into the tournament as the No. 5 seed, where they first played Ord on Oct. 9.
Chase County was facing Ord for the first time this season, which was a nice change, Smith said.
“We went in with this idea of ‘we don’t have any real idea of what’s going on with them, that’s who it is,’” she added.
While the Longhorns lost 5-10, they led the game 1-0 until the fourth inning.
“We did have our chances,” Smith said. “We went seven innings with them.”
Ryley Vrbas was the first to bat for the Lady Longhorns, and earned a walk.
Vrbas made it all around the bases, giving the Longhorns their first run.
Ord and Chase County went back and forth getting runners on base, but neither could seem to bring them home until the fourth inning.
An error by the Longhorns gave Ord a run and allowed another runner on base with one out.
That error fueled Ord, since they went on to score another seven that inning.
Some hits and smart base-running got the Longhorns up to five, but Ord had another  good inning in the seventh, scoring three more to finish the game with the 10-5 win.
Carissa Hill started on the mound for the Longhorns, and was relieved in the fourth inning by Morgan Peterson.
Hill pitched 3.1 innings, while Peterson pitched 2.2.
Both pitchers allowed four hits.
Leading offensively for Chase County against Ord was Vrbas and Ansley Maronde, getting two hits each. Vrbas and Maronde also had one run a piece.
Also scoring were Peterson, Courtney Odens and Sydnie Allen.

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