Having not played in two weeks, the Three Rivers softball team opened region play Wednesday with a little home-field advantage.
Leading by two runs in the second inning of the opener, the Raiders caught a break when a ball hit down the first-base line got under the wagon gate. Instead of a game-tying double, a ground-rule double held the tying runner at third.
"I said I've never seen a live ball go out, right before the game we talked about it," Raiders coach Jeff Null said. "Saved us a run."
Makale Floyd wiggled out of the one-out, two-on jam with a strikeout and a grounder to her first baseman and the Raiders later threw out a runner at the plate in a 5-3 win over State Fair.
Makayla Bryant and Makenna Moore combined on a five-inning no-hitter that Three Rivers won 8-0 at Rains Field.
"You could tell we were a little rusty," Null said following the first game. "The game experience, a little nerves and that kind of stuff, I just felt like we were a little sloppy but it's good to be back on the field and start region play 1-0."
The Raiders (11-3, 2-0 XVI) had a trip to Kansas canceled due to winter weather and had not played since March 2. Null said he searched for anyone to play.
Three Rivers, ranked 15th in the latest national poll, has played 10 fewer games than 14th-ranked Crowder, which plays at Three Rivers on April 1. The Raiders host Arkansas State for a doubleheader Saturday and are to play on the road Monday before resuming region play at Jefferson on Tuesday.
"I was really nervous not playing," Null said. "…We had a big spring break."
Three Rivers scored twice in the first inning when McAuliffe led off with a single and Molly Spangler was hit by a pitch before Karlye Happold's RBI groundout. Puckett followed with a two-out RBI single.
Garcia's RBI single made it 3-1 in the third before the Raiders used a double steal to score Puckett, who singled. Spangler's sacrifice fly scored Alaney Moore, who led off the fourth with a walk.
Three Rivers left six runners stranded.
"We had some good at-bats at times and we had some bad at-bats," Null said. "… They did a great job of keeping us off and we just couldn't square much up."
Kyla Puckett had five hits in the two games with a solo home run in the second game while Helena Garcia also went deep an inning later and had four hits on the day.
Three Rivers scored five times in the second inning of the nightcap after Puckett broke a scoreless tie. Halle Benskin drove in a pair of runs while Kaitlyn Ragsdale and Kenlee McAuliffe, who had three hits on the day, each had an RBI.
Bryant tossed four innings, striking out five of the first seven hitters she faced while walking the other two before TOSSING two perfect innings. Moore threw a perfect inning with a strikeout to end the game.
In the opener, Floyd allowed four hits and a walk leading to one earned run while striking out seven. The Raiders committed a pair of errors.
Brian Rosener - Daily American Republic