SALINA, Kan. — In a 2-all game in the top of the seventh inning of its Class 4A State Quarterfinal, the Andale/Garden Plain softball team delivered when it mattered the most on Monday at Salina South High School.
Andale/Garden Plain broke the tie with three runs to advance to the semifinals with a 5-2 victory over AVCTL-IV rival and co-league champion, Clearwater, 5-2. The two teams were playing for a third time this season after a regular-season split on April 23 in Andale.
Emily Eck broke the tie in the seventh with her second RBI triple of the day. Coti Hiner hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2, and Rose Molitor followed with an RBI single for an extra insurance run.
Andale/Garden Plain struck first in the third with Eck’s first RBI triple. Clearwater tied the game with an RBI double by Taylor Nielson and took a 2-1 lead with an RBI single by Trista Welty. Hiner tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth.
Ryin Gibbens improved to 9-1 on the year, pitching a complete game, allowing two runs on four hits and two strikeouts. Eck and Hiner each went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs.
Andale/Garden Plain has won nine in a row and is now 20-5 heading into Wednesday’s 4A Semifinal against Wamego at 5 p.m. at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence. Wamego, the No. 7 seed, defeated Santa Fe Trail, 5-1, in its quarterfinal.
