Article and photos by T Ray Henry
The Marshall Lions softball team traveled to Teutopolis to take on the T-Town Wooden Shoes in a non-conference game on Tuesday, April 28th. Marshall, ranked 11th by the ICA in Class 2A, came in with a record of 16-1, while T-Town, ranked 19th by the ICA in Class 2A, came in with a record of 17-5.
In a pitchers’ duel between Marshall's Kyla Gustafson and Teutopolis' Alyssa Tipton, neither team could break through on the scoreboard until the top of the third inning when Marshall's Lynn Welborn hammered a 1 and 1 offering over the fence in center field for a home run to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. The blast was Welborn’s fifth of the season.
In the top of the fifth, Marshall's Lauren English drove a pitch to the fence in right field for her second triple of the ballgame. She then came in to score when McKenzie Davis beat out an infield single which pushed Marshall's lead to 2-0.
Marshall starting pitcher Kyla Gustafson did not allow a base hit in the game until the bottom of the seventh, but she shut the door quickly thereafter by getting back-to-back strikeouts to end the game with the Lions coming away with a 2-0 victory over Teutopolis. In seven innings of work, Gustafson allowed no runs, one hit, walked one, and struck out 16 in another strong performance inside the circle.
At the dish, Lauren English led Marshall with 3 hits in 4 at-bats. English rocketed two triples to the right field fence to go along with a single. She also scored a critical insurance run to give the Lions a little breathing room down the stretch. Lynn Welborn (home run, single, run scored, RBI) and McKenzie Davis (two singles, RBI) each had two hits. Ella Mattas (double) and Lilly Nickles (single, stolen base) accounted for Marshall's other base hits.
A couple of web gems on the defensive side were turned in by middle infielders Lynn Welborn and Ella Mattas, who each went out in short left field and short right field, respectively, to make over the shoulder catches. After the game, Ella Mattas returned to Marshall to participate in the Lions' final home track meet of the season, and what a performance she had. Mattas broke the Marshall High School record in the shot put when she launched the rock 37 feet, 1 1/4 inches to break the school record which stood for 37 years.
After the game, Marshall head coach Ryan McGuire said, “This was a good win against a solid team with an excellent pitcher. Kyla (Gustafson) was dominant once again for us, and she got some help with two nice catches by Lynn Welborn and Ella Mattas. Welborn’s bomb allowed us to breathe, especially after leaving runners on in scoring position in earlier innings. Our first three batters in the order (Welborn, Lauren English, McKenzie Davis) combined for 7 of our 9 hits, so we need to get our bats going again if we are going to compete with the top teams in our conference down the stretch.”
“Ella Mattas had one of our best at-bats of the game when she fought back from down 0-2, fouling off many pitches, then drawing a walk. It doesn’t show up in a box score, but Ella making the opponent’s ace work as long as she did helped us. Then after the game, she drives back to Marshall and throws a shot put for a school record in her final home track meet. Remarkable performance.”
“We’ve got another tough game (Wednesday) when we host a Cumberland team that has beaten Newton and Mattoon, who just beat Casey-Westfield. We can’t rest on our laurels and show up. We’ve got to stay aggressive and play our game.”
Marshall (17-1) returns to the diamond when they host Cumberland Wednesday, April 29th at 4:30 PM. Come on out and watch this special team.
Lauren English went 3 for 4 with 2 triples and a run scored for Marshall against Teutopolis (1)
Lilly Nickles steals second base during Marshall's win over the Wooden Shoes
Lynn Welborn put Marshall on the board in the third inning with a home run in the Lions' win over T-Town
Kyla Gustafson fanned 16 Wooden Shoes in Marshall's 2-0 shutout over T-Town
