Bowling Green Stuns Lady Cougars in District Championship Contest

By Editor | October 25, 2023

By David Sharp

Bowling Green (19-8) scored five first inning runs and held off the potent Lady Cougar offense long enough to advance in Class 2, District 5 Softball District Championship play at South Shelby by an 8-4 final score.

Bobcat hurler Megan Graver was able to avoid the big innings that characterized an outstanding 27-3 season. Highland spent much of the campaign in the top spot of the Missouri Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association Class 2 polls.

Bowling Green was ranked third in Class 2 at the October 16, 2023 meeting. Highland beat the Bobcats by an 8-0 score on September 23. Highland staged a come from behind win in August 29 play by an 11-4 final score.

Bowling Green proved the long time adage that it is hard to beat a team three times. “If we could jump on them in the first inning, I felt like we had a shot,” Bowling Green Coach Craig Smith said.

‘The girls did exactly what they are supposed to do. I can’t ask much more of them,” Craig Smith said. “They gave Megan (Graver) a little relaxation room. She was able to pitch her game and throw well.”

“Paul (Scifres) and their coaching staff did a great job. They came in ranked number one in the state. We were able to jump on (Abby Lay) in the first inning,” Craig Smith said.

“They have a top notch program. (Abby) Lay is a sophomore. We know she is going to be around a couple more years. The first two games, we threw both of our pitchers and they were able to jump on them,” Coach Smith said.

“Towards the end, they were able to jump on us. It was in the back of my mind, and I am sure it was in the back of their minds if they did something like that again. We were able to give Megan (Graver) that big lead and she was able to shut the door on them.”

Liv Dawson and Delaney Feldman had hard hits leading off the game. Number three batter Sydney Charlton bunted the runners over. Lily Bowen drew a first inning walk to fill the bases with one out.

Avery Gamm stroked a two run hit. Emma Niemeyer drilled another single. Highland righted the ship, ending the rally with a strikeout and an infield grounder. Bowling Green likely won the game in the first inning with their five run rally.

All Conference and All District freshman Keera Rothweiler singled and stole second base leading off the Highland first. The Bobcats kept Rothweiler on second base with a good defensive play in left field to end the inning with no runs scored.

Bailie Crist robbed Delaney Feldman of an extra base hit with a great defensive play in right field for the second out of inning two. Bowling Green did not get many base runners until Avery Gamm singled and scored off Megan Graver’s two out RBI hit in the sixth inning.

Addy Abell drove Shelby Franke home with the first Cougar run in the third inning. Emma Harshberger plated Keera Rothweiler, pulling Highland back within a 5-2 deficit after five complete innings.

Both teams scored a pair of seventh inning runs each. Number nine batter Brooke Hickerson led off the Bobcat seventh with a clean base hit and scored. Liv Dawson followed with another Bowling Green hit.

The Bobcats filled the bases with two out. Avery Gamm drew an RBI walk. Karli Dean came off the bench and drew another bases loaded walk for an 8-2 lead.

Highland stopped a runner attempting to steal home for the third out. The Cougars got their first two batters on base leading off the do or die seventh inning. Ivy League bound Emma Harshberger got a hit in what proved to be the final at bat of a brilliant Highland softball career. Olivia Ritterbusch drove in two runners with a two out hit.

Abby Lay walked to load the bases. Highland had the tying run in the batters box. Bowling Green was able to keep Highland from getting the big hit, ending one of Highland’s best seasons in school history with a strikeout.

Seniors Emma Harshberger, Olivia Ritterbusch, Emily Sparrow and Brenna Klocke played their final softball games in a Lady Cougar uniform. The 2023 softball season saw several records broken.

The Lady Cougars won tournaments filled with larger schools. Bowling Green, conference champion Centralia (18-10) and a 26-7-1 Class 5 Troy Buchanan team were the only teams to beat Highland in 30 tries.

Perhaps the only softball campaign that surpassed the 2023 Cougars was the undefeated Class 2 State Championship season in 2005.

“They came in with the approach of jumping on us early and they did,” Highland coach Paul Scifres said. “We kind of hoped we could chip away and get some opportunities. It seemed we couldn’t come up with that big hit.”

“I was proud of the girls,” Coach Scifres said. “Especially coming into the last inning down six runs. Being able to come out and get the tying run to the plate. We had a chance. That’s all you can ask.”

Bowling Green scored eight runs on nine hits. Liv Dawson was 2-4 with two runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Columbia College softball bound Megan Graver went 2-3 at bat with two RBI.

The all state pitcher scattered ten hits and struck out ten of her 34 batters faced in seven complete innings. Graver walked one batter and hit two. All four Highland runs were earned.

“That coach over there (Craig Smith) does a good job,” Paul Scifres said. “He had his kids ready to play. They were better than us tonight. Beating a team three times is tough. Especially a good ball club like that.”

“They came out with the approach they were going to jump on a good pitcher early and they did.”

Keera Rothweiler went 3-4 for Highland with two runs scored. Olivia Ritterbusch was 2-4 with two RBI’s. Abby Lay struck out 11 of her 37 batters faced with four walks in seven innings pitched.

Bowling Green scored eight runs on nine hits. Six of the eight Bobcat runs were earned. “They hit the ball hard. I don’t know if they were expecting that. We haven’t seen a team do that to us in the first inning,” Paul Scifres said. “We were a little shell shocked at first. She did a great job,” Coach Scifres said of Megan Graver’s performance. “She executed. She put the ball in on our hands.”

“All year long they have hit the ball well. We have set school records in just about every offensive category you could think of,” Coach Scifres said. “They have done it consistently all year long against some very tough opponents.”

“I was blessed to be a part of this season. I thought Abby (Lay) settled in. We got out of some jams. At the end of the day we just couldn’t come up with the timely hit. (Megan) Graber executed and had us off balance. I thought that was the difference.”

“I am super proud of all of them, All Four of them,” Paul Scifres said of his seniors. “I thought they had great attitudes. Leadership. They came to work every day. They were very inclusive with our other underclassmen.”

“Everybody had a really good time all season. A lot of that is due to our seniors. You can’t say enough about them. We are going to miss them. We love them. We wish them nothing but the best.”