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East Carter Lady Redbirds edge Clearwater to open OFC Tournament
DONIPHAN - The time to determine the best softball team in their conference kicked off on Monday as the 2024 Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament was in full swing at the Doniphan Donettes Softball Field.
With the Doniphan Donettes and reigning OFC champions having a bye in the opening round, six other teams within the conference went head-to-head for an opportunity to dethrone the champions.
The No.4 seeded Clearwater Lady Tigers and the No.5 East Carter Lady Redbirds got their shot early as they kicked off the tournament, where the contest focused on the defensive side. A Late push from the Lady Redbirds gifted them a 1-0 win over Clearwater with a single at the top of the sixth from Calleigh Miller to bring in the only run.
Lady Redbirds head coach Teresa Kearbey-LeGrand said it wasn’t the most high-scoring game, but their defense and pitching shined in this tight matchup. Though the Lady Redbirds got the win, Kearbey-LeGrand gave a lot of credit to play from Clearwater.
“Feels good to get the win, but Clearwater is a good and solid team,” Teresa Kearbey-LeGrand said. “The last time we went up against them they beat us by one in the bottom of the seventh, so I have to give them a lot of credit because they didn’t let up not once. Our pitcher did a phenomenal job, and we played some great defense where everyone kept the ball in front of them. I hope it can continue as we slowly work our way up the ladder.”
Both teams were solid in the circle, with East Carter and Clearwater each struck out three.
Miller earned the win for the Lady Redbirds. She allowed one hit and zero runs over seven innings, striking out three and walking three. Riley Hurt took the loss for Clearwater by going for seven innings, allowing one run on three hits, striking out three and walking one.
Zelma Cooley, Miller, and Karla Ochoa each collected one hit for the Lady Redbirds. Miller led East Carter with one run batted in. The pitcher went 1-for-3 on the day, and East Carter did not commit a single error in the field. Gracie Allen led Clearwater with one hit in three at-bats.
The Lady Redbirds will take on the No. 1 Doniphan Donettes in the semifinals on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Donettes Softball Field.
Though the Lady Redbirds managed to walk away with a win in the first round, they will need to be laser-focused to knock off the reigning champs.
“We've got to be very disciplined at the plate,” Kearbey-LeGrand said. “We've got to be able to stay on top of those small mistakes. We got to go up and get them and be solid instead of popping them up.”