Lone Tree battles back, but falls to Danville

By Jeff Yoder
Posted 6/18/21

The Lone Tree softball team erased an early six-run deficit, but came up one hit short in an 8-7 loss to Danville on Wednesday. 

The Lady Lions had the bases loaded in the fifth inning and …

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Lone Tree battles back, but falls to Danville

Posted

The Lone Tree softball team erased an early six-run deficit, but came up one hit short in an 8-7 loss to Danville on Wednesday. 

The Lady Lions had the bases loaded in the fifth inning and had runners on first and second base in the seventh, but couldn’t get one more hit to drop. 

Lone Tree was outhit 13-12 in the cross divisional game with the Bears. 

The Lady Lions trailed 6-2 in the fourth inning, when Kayleigh Rundlett started the Lone Tree rally with a leadoff single. 

Rylee Shield drove in two runs with a two-out triple and scored on Arlie Lorack’s double. Alex Dautremont put Lone Tree on top 7-6 with a single to right field. 

“We know we can hit the ball,” Lone Tree coach Reid Kaalberg said. “wWe've worked really hard at hitting. The girls know they can put the ball in play and it's just — who's gonna come up and have that big swing. And right now, I think anybody in our lineup has a chance to do it right now, so that's kind of nice to see — top to bottom, everyone's getting around.

“Once we start getting a rally, that's when you see everybody kind of take it up, all around, because everyone's excited obviously in the moment, but that's when we start to be a little more dialed in, I just wish we'd be a little more dialed in the whole time.”

Dautremont finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs and Shield was 2 for 5 with two runs scored.

It was Danville who came through with two outs in the first and second innings. The bases were empty when a two-out walk was followed by a single and a double to score two runs in the first. 

A leadoff walk was followed by two strikeouts in the second inning, but three straight singles and an error increased the Danville lead to 5-0. 

Kaalberg said that the long season is taking a toll on Lorack, who had thrown all but 13 of Lone Tree’s 76 innings at that point. 

“We go to her every game,” he said. “She knows she’s getting the ball in the circle, and so as time goes on and you just keep going, going, going, you start to lose some of those mechanics.

“But the key to getting that third out is everyone staying focused. As long as Arlie knows that our defense has her back, she’s fine.”

Ellen Carow and Ella Buser each had two hits in the loss, while Skylar Smith had a hit and drew two walks. 

Lone Tree 11, Hillcrest 10

Lone Tree scored five runs in the ninth inning and held on for an 11-10 win at Hillcrest Academy on Thursday. 

The Lady Lions led 4-0 early in the game and 6-4 in the seventh, but the Ravens scored two runs to take Lone Tree into extra innings. 

With the bases loaded, Alex Dautremont hit the ball to the shortstop and Smith beat the throw to home plate to put Lone Tree on top. The Lions would add two more runs on wild pitches before Hogan Eden drove in a run with a ground out to second base. Kayleigh Rundlett singled with two outs and scored on an error to put Lone Tree on top 11-6. 

The Ravens made things interesting with three straight two-out hits to cut the lead to one, but Lorack struck out the final batter on three pitches to strand the tying run at third base. 

Highland 13, Lone Tree 1

Lone Tree scored just one run on three four hits in a 13-1 loss to Highland on Tuesday. 

Grace Batcheller, the Huskies’ winning pitcher, hit a three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning. 

Arlie Lorack drove in a run for Lone Tree with a sacrifice fly in the first inning after Ellen Carow and Hogan Eden led off the inning with back to back singles. Ella Buser and Skyler Smith had the other Lone Tree hits.