Troy softball advances to KSHSAA 2-1A semis
May 27—The Troy Trojans jumped out to an early lead and never looked back during a 7-0 win against Belle Plaine in Thursday's KSHSAA 2-1A State Softball Championship quarterfinals in Pratt, Kansas.
Second-seeded Troy (21-0) scored four runs in the second and added three more over the next two frames, allowing just two hits to cruise past the No. 7 Dragons.
After the first nine batters of the game failed to reach base, Troy junior Paityn Engemann started a rally with a leadoff single in the second. After advancing to second, Engemann came in to score on a two-strike single from Jacey Moore for a 1-0 lead.
Emma McConnaughey then hit a two-out, three-run home run to center field for a 4-0 lead after two.
Engemann returned to the plate with an RBI single in the third to score Paige Hinds for a 5-0 edge.
With two outs in the fourth, Avery Euler doubled to left field, scoring Gracie Grable and Reagan Hill for the eventual final score.
Only three Dragon baserunners advanced beyond first base with Troy collected 10 hits on the day. Engemann, Moore and McConnaughey finished with multiple hits. Engemann finished with 14 strikeouts while throwing a complete game on just 87 pitches. Sixty-six of her pitches went for strikes.
Troy will play in the semifinals at 11 a.m. with the chance to advance to the championship or first-place game Friday afternoon.
Brandon Zenner can be reached at brandon.zenner@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowZenner.
