WELLS — Season-opening games are often a mystery, even to coaches. After weeks of practicing inside a gym, no one quite knows what to expect.
After Wells defeated Greely 18-11 to open the high school softball season Thursday, Warriors Coach Kevin Fox has a pretty good idea that his hitting will be OK.
The Warriors had 19 hits – 12 of them, along with 11 runs, coming from the top four hitters in the batting order – to rally from an early 7-3 deficit.
“We hit the ball well and we got timely hits,” said Fox. “And down 7-3, we were having a hard time. They had every reason to pack it in and they didn’t pack it in. They hung in there.”
No. 2 hitter Abby Hanson had four hits, three runs and three RBI for Wells. No.3 hitter Karissa Kenyon drove in five runs with three hits (including a two-run homer in the decisive sixth inning). Cleanup hitter Savannah Grover had three hits, an RBI and a run, and leadoff batter Meredith Bogue had two hits and scored four runs.
“I feel like we were ready to play today,” said Grover, who got the win with four innings of relief. “It wasn’t just like one person.”
Wells scored in every inning, including eight in the sixth to break open a one-run game. Hanson had a two-run single in the inning, and Emma Cousins and Vivica Woods each had a run-scoring single in addition to Kenyon’s home run.
“That home run felt really good off the bat,” said Kenyon. “And everyone else did a really good job at the plate.”
Greely, the defending Class B South champ, built a 7-3 lead, two runs scoring on bases-loaded walks, another on a wild pitch. Grover, a sophomore left-hander, came in relief in the fourth and slowed the Rangers.
“I didn’t think I was going to do so well,” said Grover, who struck out five, “but I proved myself wrong.”
Wells took an 8-7 lead with a four-run fourth. Woods led off with a walk and went to third on a double by Bogue. Hanson and Kenyon followed with consecutive run-scoring singles. Sophia Zurlo knocked in a run with a single and Hailey Kelly drove in another with a fielder’s-choice grounder.
Kenyon and Grover had RBI singles in the fifth to make it 10-7. Greely scored twice in the top of the sixth, Delia Knox knocking in one run with a single, to pull within 10-9.
It was the first time the Rangers were on a field this year. And Coach Rob Hale saw a lot of things he liked. Audrey Boyle, making her first varsity start, pitched well at times. And the Greely hitters had numerous quality at-bats, drawing 13 walks.
“My expectations were low going into the season. We had a lot of question marks,” Hale said. “My expectations are a lot higher after seeing some potential I hadn’t seen.”
Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or:
Twitter: MikeLowePPH
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