GAME 1 FINAL:
SOUTH 14
JUNCTION CITY 2

This year’s Salina South softball team has set its expectations sky-high. With a balanced mix of experienced returners and underclassmen stepping into key roles, the Cougars have the pieces in place for a potentially special season.

Tuesday’s doubleheader against Junction City marked the team’s first step toward realizing its full potential.

With both starting pitchers returning from last year’s team, head coach Brea Vidrine before the game called her team’s dynamic 1-2 punch of Paityn Fritz and Macy Yost, “The most valuable thing you can have.”

Fritz started game one and was superb. With the game shortened to five innings due to the score, Fritz went the distance pitching a complete game allowing just two earned runs on three hits and 11 strikeouts.

The Cougars boast a deep lineup that will challenge opposing pitchers and provide strong run support for their own pitching staff.

South racked up its 14 runs on 11 hits to start the day. Incredibly, eight of nine players got a base hit and eight of nine drove in a run.

Morgan Janousek, Paityn Fritz and Breckon Webb each tallied two hits in the opener and combined to drive in half the Cougars runs.

GAME 2 FINAL:
SOUTH 13
JUNCTION CITY 3

The second of two games on Tuesday proved to be similar. Another game shortened to five innings with the Cougars pitching and hitting all coming together in a flurry.

Macy Yost started game two, and turned in another complete game for the staff. Similar to Fritz, Yost allowed 2 earned runs on four hits and struck out five.

Yost presented the Junction City bats with a completely different look from Fritz. Yost relies on a nasty screwball that ties hitters up in knots while Fritz can blow batters away with her straight fastball.

Game two saw both Cougar pitchers have their way at the plate, combining to go 4-for-7 with four doubles and six RBIs.

As a team, nine base knocks was enough to bring home another double-digit winner.

Patience was a virtue for the Cougar bats over both games too, working 17 combined walks over the two games on Tuesday. Setting the table and stringing hits gave Salina South the early advantage in each game as they never trailed after the first inning.

The Cougars will look to carry their early momentum to Abilene for class 4-A road test this Friday.