Softball squad drops nine-inning heartbreaker

GREAT BEND — While it was a stellar 15 innings for the Newton High School softball team in general, and senior pitcher Heather Torres specifically, the 16th proved the Railers’ undoing and led to the end of the season.

A two-out error in the bottom of the ninth inning with a runner on second allowed Great Bend to push across the sole run of the championship game, sending the top-seeded Panthers to the state tournament with a 1-0 win in the Class 5A regional finals in Great Bend.

Great Bend, 17-2, advances to the state tournament May 23 and 24 at the Two Rivers Youth Complex in Wichita. The Panthers also avenged a 4-0 loss to the Railers from last year’s regionals.

Torres went 15 2-3 innings, allowing no earned runs on 10 hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts. She opened the day with a 5-0 win over Hays in the semifinals.

“We couldn’t get that run in,” Newton coach Amber Brunswig said. “It was frustrating. We put ourselves in position to win. We just didn’t get that hit we needed to get that run in. I’m proud of the girls. They played 16 innings of great ball today. The defense stepped up and made the plays we needed. We put some freshmen in some tough spots today, but I have all the confidence in the world in them. It just didn’t go our way today.”

Great Bend senior Janell Hinson was able to outduel Torres for the win. Hinson allowed just two hits, two walks — one intentional — and struck out 18 batters. Each pitcher hit one batter.

“Heather was on her game today,” Brunswig said. “After getting hit in the face on Friday, she came back and pitched two unbelievable games. She was hitting her spots. She did what she needed to do. I was very proud of her.”

Great Bend had the first threats of the game, getting a two-out single in the first inning and a one-out single in the second inning, but both runners were left stranded.

Newton’s offense opened the game with a pair of pop flies to the outfield, but the next seven batters struck out. The Railers finally threatened in the fourth when Logan Duerksen drew a walk and went to third when the Panthers misplayed an Erin Boston bunt. Meghan Boston flew out to right field and Duerksen was called out on appeal for not tagging up.

In the bottom of the fourth, Great Bend’s Kortney Freiss led off by getting hit by a pitch. Kayla Hoskins was called out on a bunt attempt when she knocked the ball out of Meghan Boston’s glove, sending Freiss back to first. The Panthers got Freiss to second with a sacrifice bunt, but a ground out to the pitcher ended the inning.

In the fifth inning, Newton’s Brittney Dyminoski led off with a double off the center field fence, but a strikeout, a pop out to the catcher on a bunt attempt and another strikeout ended the threat.

Great Bend nearly ended the game in the bottom of the sixth, putting runners at second and third with one out, but a ground out to short and a line out to second kept the Panthers off the board.

In the top of the seventh, Meghan Boston tripled to deep right field. After a strikeout, Dyminoski was hit by a pitch and allowed to take second. The next six Railer batters struck out.

With one out in the top of the ninth, Meghan Boston walked. After a strikeout, Dyminoski was intentionally walked. A ground out ended the inning.

Torres got a ground out to start the bottom of the ninth. Amanda Dreiling then singled and went to second on a Kelly Curtis bunt. Jessica Denny hit a ball that went off Newton second baseman Ali Loyd’s glove and landed just behind second base, allowing Denny to score.

Friess ended the game two for three hitting, the only player in the game with more than one hit.

Newton opened the day with Hays in the regional semifinals. Newton took a 2-0 lead through three innings, aided by a solo home run for Dyminoski. The Railers stopped a couple of Hays threats then scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to put things away. Dyminoski ended the game with two RBIs. Erin Boston and Meghan Boston each drove in one run. Torres struck out nine, allowed five hits and walked two. Morgan Skiles was two for two hitting for Hays. Carissa Wickham took the loss for the Indians, which ended the season 8-10.

“We got the one run, then Brittney hit one out, and we were satisfied with that until the sixth inning,” Brunswig said. “In the sixth inning, we stepped up and put it back in play.”

Newton ends the season 11-11. The Railers lose four seniors — Loyd, Torres, Jodi Renollet and Sara Ensz. The Railers expect to return two juniors, four sophomores and five seniors from the varsity roster, including six regular starters.

“We have lots of youth,” Brunswig said. “They’ve been in this situation now. I told them to work hard in the off-season. That will only make them better. We graduate four. I think we’re finally getting depth at pitching. We only had three when I first started here. Now we have five or six pitchers. We need someone to step up next year and make it happen.”

Semifinals

Newton 5, Hays 0

Hays 000 000 0 —0 5 2

Newton 011 003 x —5 7 1

Wickman (L) and Klaus; Torres (W) and E.Boston. HR — N: Dyminoski.

Finals

Great Bend 1, Newton 0

(9 innings)

Newton ab r h bi

Duerksen cf 3 0 0 0

E.Boston c 3 0 0 0

M.Boston 1b 3 0 1 0

Stahl ss 3 0 0 0

Dyminoski 3b 2 0 1 0

Renollet dp 2 0 0 0

Southern dp 2 0 0 0

Phillips lf 2 0 0 0

Sturgeon ph 1 0 0 0

Loyd 2b 3 0 0 0

Ensz cf 1 0 0 0

Miller rf 2 0 0 0

TOTALS 27 0 2 0

Grt.Bnd. ab r h bi

S.Dreiling 2b 4 0 1 0

Savoie rf 4 0 0 0

Friess ss 3 0 2 0

Nagle pr 0 0 0 0

Hoskins cf 4 0 0 0

A.Dreiling c 3 1 1 0

Curtis lf 3 0 1 0

Denny 3b 4 0 0 0

Freund 1b 1 0 0 0

Haney 1b 2 0 0 0

Kuhn dp 3 0 0 0

TOTALS 31 1 5 0

Newton 000 000 000 —0

Grt.Bnd. 000 000 001 —1

There were two outs when the winning run scored.

E — Loyd 2, Denny. DP — Great Bend. LOB — New. 6, GB 6. 2B — Dyminoski. 3B — M.Boston. SB — M.Boston, Savoie. Sac. Bunt — E.Boston, Denny.

Newton

ip h r er bb k

Torres, L 8.2 5 1 0 0 7

Great Bend

ip h r er bb k

Hinson 9 2 0 0 2 18

WP — Torres. HBP — Dyminoski (Hinson), Friess (Torres). Batter’s Int. — Savoie, Hoskins. IBB — Dyminoski (Hinson). Time — 1:46.