DODGE CITY, Kan. – A day after narrowly escaping a first round upset, the Seward County softball team shutout the Colby Trojans in the second round of the Region VI Tournament 5-0 to advance to the first semi-final game for the second straight year.
Monique Ashley (26-6) pitched a complete game in the shut-out win, picking up her second straight double digit strikeout performance in the tournament, retiring 10 Trojans, while allowing just four hits.
Seward came away with eight hits in the game with Madeline Owen, Corinna Porras and Paige St. Pierre each finishing with two hits each. Porras led the Lady Saints with two RBI coming off her sixth inning home run.
After Ashley kept the Trojans off the bases through three innings, recording six strikeouts, the Lady Saints gave her some help in the bottom of the third. Porras led off with a double to give Seward some life to start the inning. St. Pierre singled with the next at bat, forcing an error by the center fielder to score Porras before Sydney Epp forced another error to score Pierre, giving the Lady Saints an early 2-0 lead.
Following a leadoff out, the Trojans hit three straight singles to load the bases in the top of the fourth. After forcing an infield fly, Ashley struck out the next batter to end the Colby threat.
The Trojans threatened again in the top of the fifth. Two bunts, followed by a batter being hit by the pitch loaded the bases with two outs. This time, a fly ball to left field ended the inning for Colby.
The Lady Saints forced a Trojans pitching change in the bottom of the sixth after extending their lead to five runs. Owen led off the inning with a single before Porras drilled a two-run bomb over the left field wall. Jullian Atteberry kept the scoring going, reaching on an error to score St. Pierre bringing the game to 5-0.
Seward will take on Butler tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. for the first semi-final game of the Region VI Tournament at Legends Field in Dodge City.