COTTLEVILLE, Mo. - The Lady Raiders swept a rare tripleheader Friday.
Three Rivers started with a game that was postponed in the bottom of the second on March 30 and followed with its originally scheduled doubleheader at St. Charles. Three Rivers won the makeup game 11-2 in six innings, then won 1-0 in eight innings and closed the long day with a 10-2 win.
"We had to dig down into the bench a little more than normal," Three Rivers coach Jeff Null said. "I was pretty pleased. We kept our energy up."
Three Rivers won its first extra-innings game of the season after Molly Spangler scored in the eighth inning for the only run.
She got a leadoff single, stole second, and Brianna Everett connected with an RBI double before being thrown out trying for third.
Kindi Puckett (12-1) pitched all eight innings in the win and had to escape in the bottom of the eighth.
St. Charles (17-15) had runners on first and second with nobody out and the top of the lineup due up, but the Raiders (25-1) turned a 5-4 double play.
Still, a runner was on third, and Puckett allowed a single and a walk to load the bases for clean-up hitter Elizabeth Davis.
The first baseman drove a pitch toward shortstop, and the runner was called out for interference to end the game.
It was the only inning where Puckett faced more than four batters. She finished with 10 strikeouts against five hits and two walks.
Everett had three of the Raiders' six hits and Spangler had two.
"They threw a kid who located really well, low and away, and we kept trying to pull it," Null said, adding the Raiders hit a lot of popups with the wind blowing in.
In the nightcap, the Three Rivers offense came alive at least three runs in each of the final three innings to give Makale Floyd the win.
Floyd (2-0) allowed five hits and no walks over six innings.
"She was just overpowering today," Null said. "She's been working hard, so it was good to see her come through."
Kyla Puckett hit her fifth home run in the sixth inning, and pinch-hitter Emma Keen hit a grand slam in the seventh for her fourth home run.
Three Rivers had 10 hits, with Lauren Joyner, Zoe Bisby, Jenny Morey and Blair Quarles all getting two. Jaime Lee tripled in her only hit.
"About the fourth inning, we started swinging it out of the blue," Null said. "Then we ended up hitting a couple of home runs."
Three Rivers started the day with a game that was postponed in the second inning on March 30. Lee had already hit a home run before it was postponed, and with the going becoming official Friday, the leadoff hitter is now second on the team with nine.
Joyner leads the team with 11, and Everett has eight.
When the game was postponed, the Raiders led 1-0 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second. On Friday, Three Rivers scored in every inning to give Cayton Sloan (6-0) the win.
"We had to grind and fight a little today," Null said. "I was super proud of our pitchers."
Scott Borkgren - Daily American Republic