Lady Tiger softball sees season end in district opener at Linn

By Will Johnson, Sports Editor
Posted 10/20/21

When Randis Sander’s Belle Lady Tigers saw the bracket for the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 2, District 2 Softball Tournament bracket, a chance at revenge …

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Lady Tiger softball sees season end in district opener at Linn

Posted

When Randis Sander’s Belle Lady Tigers saw the bracket for the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 2, District 2 Softball Tournament bracket, a chance at revenge immediately entered their minds.

That was because Linn’s Lady Wildcats were their first-round opponent.

Belle was looking to avenge a 10-0 loss to their Highway 89 neighbors to the north last Tuesday from earlier in the season.

Leading 4-3 after six innings, the Lady Tigers were in prime position to pull off an opening-round upset.

Linn turned three hits and a walk into two runs ending Belle’s season on the softball diamond by a 5-4 final score.

“We played our best game of the season at the best time possible,” Sanders said. “We had Linn on the ropes on their home field and they deserve credit for getting the hits they needed to in the end.”

Batting first as the visiting team, Belle took full advantage in the top of the first inning.

Natalie Gehlert reached on an error to lead off the game before a Ryleigh Long RBI double allowed her to score for a 1-0 Belle lead.

Long later scored on a Gracie Rehmert RBI single doubling the Lady Tiger lead to 2-0 with only one out in the inning. 

Rehmert scored later in the inning on a wild pitch pushing Belle’s early lead to 3-0 after one inning while she pitched around a Linn leadoff single in the bottom half of the first inning.

Following a scoreless second inning, Linn got on the board with two runs on three hits trimming the Lady Tiger lead to 3-2 after three innings.

Unable to turn a fourth-inning walk from Long and a fifth-inning walk from Emma White into runs, Belle still lead 3-2 after five innings behind Rehmert’s pitching.

Rehmert encountered the most trouble in the bottom of the fourth inning pitching around a pair of one-out singles.

Inning number six saw Belle get one of those runs back.

Gehlert delivered a one-out single before scoring on a Rehmert RBI single pushing Belle’s lead back to two runs at 4-2.

Two Lady Wildcats hits in the bottom of the sixth inning helped push across another run cutting Belle’s lead back to 4-3.

After Linn ended Belle’s season at 8-16 overall, the host Lady Wildcats saw their season end to eventual district champion Iberia.