Softball: Lemer, Price push Eureka by Drummond
EUREKA — Solid pitching by Jacquelyn Lemer and the hitting of Hannah Price and Lemer carried Eureka to a 19-5 Class B-C play-in softball victory over Drummond on Monday.
The win advances Eureka (7-10) to the Western B-C divisional tournament, which begins Friday in Ronan. Eureka will play the host school at 1 p.m.
Eureka outhit Drummond (4-12-1) 12-7 as Price was 3-for-5 with five RBIs and Lemer went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs.
Price, Lemer, Cassidy Morgan and Alexa Mrgich all had doubles for the Lions.
Six Eureka players collected hits. Mikayla Neuman and Mrgich both went 2-for-4.
Drummond scored twice in the top half of the second inning to take a brief 2-1 lead. Eureka followed with a six-run outburst in the bottom half of the second, exploded for eight runs in the third and then finished it off with a four-run fourth.
“She had a big day,” Eureka coach Andy Escobar said of Price.
“She came through when we needed her to. Her teammates did a good job of getting on base ahead of her.”
Escobar was impressed with the performance of Lemer in the circle. She totaled three strikeouts and walked two.
“Lemer had good control,” he said.
“For the most part, she was ahead of her hitters. She was throwing strikes and let the defense take care of her.”
Drummond 020 03 — 5 7 4
Eureka 168 4x — 19 12 2
Sarah Angelo and Ashley Mannix; Jacquelyn Lemer and Alexa Mrgich. W — Lemer (7 hits, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks). L — Angelo.
DRUMMOND — Angelo 2-2, Bridgette Oberweiser 0-3, Rhianna Pool 1-3, Mannix 1-3, Krissy Paske 0-1, Ayla Martell 1-3, Melanie Parke 1-3, Makayla Chaffin 1-3, Skip Hill 0-2, Pocoa 0-0.
EUREKA — Hannah Price 3-5, Mikayla Neuman 2-4, Cassidy Morgan 1-2, Mrgich 2-4, Lemer 3-3, Ashlen Pacella 0-3, Jamie Soderling 0-1, Evynn Anderson 1-3, Nicole Anderson 0-1, Elliott Peterson 0-0, Teasha Escobar 0-0.
2B—Price, Morgan, Mrgich, Lemer; RBIs—Angelo, Mannix, Martell, Parke, Hill; Price (5), Neuman, Morgan (2), Mrgich, Lemer (3), Soderling, E. Anderson, Escobar.