By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
SILVER LAKE – Class 3A No. 1-ranked Silver Lake shook off last week's twinbill losses to 4A No. 1-ranked Wamego by sweeping Hayden, 7-2, 10-0, on Tuesday night in a non-league doubleheader.
Silver Lake sophomore Kendra Cook watches her second-game home run in the Eagles' doubleheader sweep over Hayden on Tuesday. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Silver Lake coach Nick Hamilton congratulates senior Chloe LaDuke as she rounds the bases on a Game 2 home run for the Eagles against Hayden. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
It didn't take long for the Eagles to get back on the right track with a pair of convincing wins against 4A Hayden. The bats and defense were nearly perfect against a formidable Wildcat squad.
Silver Lake coach Nick Hamilton still believes the Eagles have room for improvement but was pleased by the way they created momentum for themselves after taking their first losses of the year eight days ago.
"We've got a good schedule with some teams with some good pitchers, so a part of winning these games is finding momentum," Hamilton said. "It took us a bit of time to find that momentum, but once we did, I felt the confidence come back. Our girls just competed."
Silver Lake (14-2) didn't jump out to the fastest of starts in Game 1.
Hayden earned a 2-0 lead against the Eagles through three and a half innings thanks to an RBI double from senior Alyssa Droge and a groundout RBI from Kylie Carswell.
"We had a slow start in the first game, but I thought we finished really well," Silver Lake second baseman McKinley Kruger said. "Avery (Wende) did a great job, and I thought we did a good job of backing her up on defense. Later, we finally got used to Alyssa Droge, who's a really great pitcher.
"We mostly wanted to improve at the plate especially knowing we were going to face a great pitcher today. She has good speed and good spin. So we want to pick out what we want to hit and not be satisfied."
Silver Lake was sparked by Hayden's defensive miscues in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Junior McKinley Kruger started the hot offensive streak with a single. McKinley Kruger's single was followed by a double by sophomore Taylor Zordel.
A crucial sacrifice bunt from junior Kaibryn Kruger and two Hayden errors allowed Silver Lake to cut to the front of the line with a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
In the fifth inning, McKinley Kruger drove in a run after an error, while sophomore Kira Lowrey added another run off an RBI single. The 2-run fifth inning gave Silver Lake a 6-2 cushion.
To close the offense out, freshman Kailyn Hanni got her second hit of the contest and drove in a run to make the contest 7-2 in the sixth inning.
"We always do a good of playing with each other and for each other," McKinley Kruger said. "We need to just keep this up and keep coming out strong, especially against good teams. If we play this well against good teams, we will be unstoppable."
Lights-out pitching from junior standout Wende kept Hayden (6-12) off the board from the fourth inning to the finale. Wende went a complete seven innings, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out five batters.
After the 7-2 first-game win, Silver Lake would dominate in game two with a 10-0, six-inning run rule.
The pitching duo of sophomores Kendra Cook and Lowrey would team up for a combined no-hitter against Hayden.
The winning pitcher, Cook, went four innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. Lowrey would close out the remaining two innings, blanking the Wildcats and earning a strikeout in the process.
"They're just doing their job," Hamilton said. "They're keeping the ball in the park. The swings that they give up are playable balls. Kendra got down in the count a few times but battled back and threw it well.
"The biggest thing is that they (Wende, Cook and Lowrey) are trusting their defense and last year, we struggled with that. They threw balls over the plate, and (opponents) were hitting them out. So I think the biggest thing this year is that they trust their defense."
Silver Lake struck Hayden immediately with an opening 5-run offensive outburst in Game 2. First, Zordel brought in a run off of a single. Then, Kaibryn Kruger brought in two runners with a single.
After Zordel and Kaibryn Kruger brought in two runs, Cook would go the distance, demolishing the softball with a 2-run home run to give Silver Lake a 5-0 edge in the first inning.
Hayden settled down and played better defense for the next couple of innings before Silver Lake regained its groove.
"In the second game, we started out hot but got into a little bit of a slump," McKinley Kruger said. "Our pitchers did a great job, and I think the offense played well near the end. Overall it was a really good night."
In the bottom of the fourth, Lowrey would bring in two runs off of a double to push the Eagle lead to 7-0.
Senior Chloe LaDuke would join Cook by blasting a solo home run in the fifth inning, extending the massive lead even further. In addition to LaDuke's home run, McKinley Kruger would bring in a run on a single, giving her three hits on the night and a 9-0 Silver Lake lead.
Junior Raely Sterling would walk it off with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, bringing Lowrey home.
"We have some improving to do," Hamilton said. "I told them that (Wamego) was a test that we had to have before regionals. This has shown us where we are at and what we need to fix. I think they've done a good job fixing some of those mistakes."
GAME ONE
SILVER LAKE 7, HAYDEN 2
Hayden 000 200 0 – 2 4 2
Silver Lake 000 421 X – 7 8 2
W – Wende. L – Droge. 2B – Silver Lake: Zordel. Hayden: Droge.
GAME TWO
SILVER LAKE 10, HAYDEN 0
Hayden (6-12) – 000 000 – 0 0 3
Silver Lake (14-2) – 500 221 – 10 15 0
W – Cook. L – Ky. Carswell. 2B – Silver Lake: M. Kruger, Zordel, Lowrey. HR – Silver Lake: Cook, LaDuke.
