Lady Hounds back in district finals

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

After a 9-0 whitewash of Racine Southern on Monday night at Rio Grande University, Coach Matthias Applegate and the Manchester Lady Greyhounds will make a return trip to the Division IV district championship game, back to defend their district title from 2023. The district semi-final victory improved the Lady Hounds to 14-4 on the season as they jumped on Southern pitching for six runs in their first two at-bats and coasted from there.

The Manchester offense was hitting on all cylinders on Monday, pounding out 11 hits, four of those for extra bases. Rylie Young had a double big day, going 3 for 4 at the plate, scoring three runs and driving home 3 while tossing a five-hit shutout from the center circle, whiffing 13 Southern hitters.

The Lady Hounds wasted no time, scoring three times in the top of the first inning, Young and Jenna Campbell scoring on an error and Elianna Applegate adding a sacrifice fly. The Manchester bats staged a repeat performance in the top half of the second, scoring three more times. A two-out double by Young brought home Jaylise Applegate. who had singled to lead off the frame. A Brislynn McClanahan two-bagger pushed Young across and the third double of the inning, this one by Elianna Applegate, scored McClanahan to make it 6-0.

Both teams went scoreless in the third through fifth innings, as Young mowed down Southern hitters with ease. In the top of the sixth, the Lady Hounds posted their third three-run inning of game to give them a very comfortable cushion. Another two-base hit from the red-hot Young drove home Campbell and Chloe Freeman, followed by an RBI ground out from McClanahan that made it 9-0.

Young ran into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the sixth, giving up pair of hits but got a strikeout and fly out to work out of the jam. In the bottom of the seventh, southern got a leadoff base hit bu the next three hitters were retired as the Lady Hounds could celebrate that return trip to the district title game.

“I was extremely proud of how the girls hit one through nine,” said Coach Applegate. “They came into the game very confident and it showed from the very start of the game. We also made some very heads up base running plays, which resulted in several runs that are huge in tournament play.”

“Rylie Young pitched another outstanding game a shutout with 13 strikeouts. We are very proud of this group of young ladies, however, we know we have a tough opponent coming up.”

That contest will take place on Thursday, May 16 at 4 p.m. back at Rio Grande where the Lady Hounds will face a tough challenge in the #1 seeded Portsmouth Notre Dame Lady Titans. A win there and the Lady Hounds will be back in the Division IV regional tournament.

” Notre Dame is ranked as one of the top five teams in the state and we know that we are going to have to play our best game,” added Coach Applegate.

Manchester also has another carrot dangling out there, the completion of a makeup game with Fayetteville, where a win would propel the Lady Hounds into a three-way tie for first place in the small school division of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. Manchester was up 3-2 when play was suspended and a date for completion had not been finalized at press time.