Facing KJCCC runner-up Neosho County to wrap the regular season, the Labette Cardinals were swept at home, 6-5, 11-8, on Friday afternoon.
Both Labette and Neosho County entered the day with their seeds in the NJCAA Region VI Tournament — No. 5 and No. 2, respectively — locked into place.
The Panthers coming out on the right side of high-leverage moments — inducing a pop-up on a 3-1 count with the bases loaded and some baserunning mistakes by the Cardinals — were the difference in a back-and-forth series.
“We came out with two close games and we made mistakes that allowed runs that were the difference,” Labette head coach Ryan Phillips said. “But I have no doubt we could have beat them. The tournament will have a different mindset and a different approach. If we minimize those mistakes, we’re tough. I could see both of us playing each other at the end of the tournament.”
Labette claimed a 4-3 lead through five innings thanks largely to a three-run homer from first baseman Jaden Jordan.
The Panthers huge three runs on the board in the top of the sixth, then escaped a bases-loaded job in the bottom of the frame to preserve the victory.
Taylor Palmer ate the loss in the circle while Grace Strecker had two hits out of the leadoff spot. Jordan drew two walks and had her home run in four plate appearances.
In Game 2, the Panthers took command of the game with three runs in the fourth to claim a 10-7 advantage.
Strecker had a three-hit game while Jordan had two hits and a walk.
Jordan had spent much of the previous three weeks being outright avoided by opposing pitchers, including a streak of 12 straight walks.
Phillips moved Jordan, the nation’s leader in on-base percentage, up to the two-hole in the lineup with Mattison Hamilton protecting her in the threespot.
“Moving her up in the lineup and having a couple of hitters behind her have forced teams to pick their poison,” Phillips said. “Having speed behind her and having some bats intermingled in the lineup has allowed our offense to be more aggressive. Teams are understanding that if they don’t throw to her, the girls behind her are going to step up. But all teams will be cautious with throwing at her.”
Hailey Presley allowed seven runs over 1.2 innings in the start for Labette in Game 2. Jaelah McDannald pitched the final 5.1 innings, allowing six hits and four runs.
“Every game from now on is basically win or go home. So our pitchers have to work the zone and work ahead,” Phillips said. “All of our pitchers do well when they do that. Hailey hadn’t thrown in a while so that was a factor. But she’s been one of our more consistent pitchers. We’ve got plenty of pitchers and I think we might have to use all of them.”
Friday’s series also showcased two of the top candidates for the KJCCC MVP race — Jordan and Neosho County utility star Kamri Naff.
Naff had two hits and four RBIs in Game 1 before earning the winning decision in the circle in Game 2. Naff also homered in the second game.
Neosho County’s two wins pushed its final regular season record to 31-13 overall and 19-3 in KJCCC play. Labette dropped to 19-23 overall and 13-9 in conference action.
Up next
The NJCAA Region VI Tournament in Overland Park commences on Tuesday, with Labette slated to face Kansas City Kansas in the first round at 1:30 p.m.
Labette has showcased its capability of making a deep run. But miscues in high-leverage moments against Neosho County were fatal on Friday and will prove just as deadly in the postseason.
“We haven’t made some of those mistakes all year,” Phillips said. “We have to have a better understanding of certain situations. We’ll do some situational stuff to work on that. But I don’t think we’ll make those mistakes again.”
