MONROE — On a night when hits were hard to come by, Tori Lindsay knew getting to third base with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning could decide the game.
And it was her heads up play on a routine sacrifice bunt that propelled the PCM softball team to a 1-0 triumph over Clarke on Saturday.
The Class 3A No. 8 Mustangs were limited to three hits, but Rylee Parsons and Camden Webb made sure that’s all they needed to advance during a 3A Region 2 semifinal contest.
“We didn’t have the greatest offensive night. We weren’t hitting the ball too hard,” PCM head softball coach Shaun Hudnut said. “The pitching and defense has really been our bread and butter.
“Rylee (Parsons) and Cam (Webb) executed the gameplan of how we wanted to attack hitters and their slappers beautifully. They’ve done a fantastic job for us all year. It all starts in the circle and then we know at some point we won’t be able to strike out 10 so the defense will have to make plays, too. And kids made plays all over the field today.”
The win advances the Mustangs to the regional final where they will host No. 9 Clarinda (33-7) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Monroe.
A trip to the state tournament is on the line. PCM has never qualified for the state softball tournament.
“We know we have to take care of business Tuesday, but we’ve given ourselves the opportunity,” Hudnut said. “And that’s all we want. We have the chance to be the first PCM softball team to make the state tournament and it’s a wonderful feeling.”
Clarke (7-18) pushed state-ranked PCM to the brink but ended its season with losses in seven of its final eight games. The Indians also were shut out four times during that span.
Neither team managed a lot at the plate. But Lindsay led off the seventh with a hard single to left field.
Libby Winters immediately laid down a sacrifice bunt that allowed Lindsay to get all the way the third. The Mustang sophomore took advantage of Clarke not covering the bag at third.
“He called the bunt and as a shortstop I know to cover third in that situation,” Lindsay said. “When I rounded second I saw no one was there so I knew I had to go at that point. I saw the left fielder coming in, and I knew this was it. I had to get to third.”
Lillian Humpal followed Winters’ sacrifice bunt with a bunt single that landed just in front of the plate. With runners at first and third, Humpal took off for second on the first pitch.
Lindsay scored the winning run seconds later after Clarke threw down to second base. No one was covering the bag and the ball went into center field.
“We talk about it a lot and work on it,” Hudnut said about Lindsay taking two bases on the sacrifice bunt. “She read it right away. It’s not something we are going to scream because it brings too much attention to it, but it was an awesome play on her part.”
None of that would have been possible though if Parsons and Webb didn’t combine to pitch a shutout for PCM in the circle.
Parsons started the game and went four innings. She allowed no runs and one hit and struck out one but got the no decision. Parsons delivered a 1-2-3 frame in the first, second and third.
Webb (7-1) earned the win after tossing three innings and surrendering no runs and three hits. She struck out four.
“They did phenomenal. They stayed locked in with so much pressure there,” Lindsay said. “No score and to be able to do that, that was great.”
Hudnut said his decision on when to switch from the right-handed Parsons to the left-handed Webb is mostly a gut feeling.
“Rylee knows she’s throwing anywhere from three to five innings. It’s mostly a gut feeling based on where we are in the lineup and how many times she’s faced them,” Hudnut said. “Sometimes we play it so Cam comes in to face the bottom of the order and then the top half only sees her once.”
The Mustangs (23-4) were no hit until Webb singled in the fifth. The only other base runner to that point was Hadley Millang, who walked in the third.
PCM went down in order in the first, second, fourth and sixth.
“We’ve struggled with slower pitchers throughout the year. We were out in front and pulled a lot of foul balls,” Hudnut said. “We struggled with the timing of her pitches. She had a change up, too, which added another wrinkle to it. We have to do a better job adjusting to that, but part of it is just getting big hits when you need big hits.”
Maisy McCoy led Clarke with two hits. Abbi Nash (6-10) allowed no earned runs on three hits and one walk and she struck out four in 6 1/3 innings.
Notes : Humpal and Peyton Lathrum both added stolen bases for the Mustangs. ... Lindsay now leads PCM with 30 runs and 50 total bases. She gave credit to Nash but also thought her and her teammates were just antsy in a big playoff game. “She was a good pitcher. She moved the ball around,” Lindsay said. “It’s an honor to be in this spot. I’m so confident in this team. We’ve improved so much this year and I believe we can do this.” ... Clarke’s biggest scoring threat came in the sixth. But an attempted bunt by Macy Jacobson hit her foot outside the batter’s box as she was running to first base. The Indians would have had runners on first and third base with one out but instead a second out was called and the other Clarke runner was forced back to first base.
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