Lady Bulldogs take home the area championship over Grandview

The Lady Bulldogs are area champions again This time with a new head coach in Glenn Banker The girls traveled to Sunnyvale to take on Grandview, who had recently eliminated them in the basketball playoffs But this time it was Howe who came out with the championship at the end

On Friday, the Lady Bulldogs (273-1) beat Grandview 9-1 in the first game of the three-game series Torrey Stubblefield pitching for the first time this year after being injured gave up no earned runs on one hit through four innings before being relieved by Madisyn Hargrove. Stubblefield walked two and struck out two and threw 57 pitches Hargrove went three innings walking three and giving up no runs on one hit

Peyton Griffin got Howe on the board first with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the second inning Erin Blackburn would also homer, inside the park style, to lead off the bottom of the third Later in the third, with runners on first and third, Kayla Anderson hit a blast to center for a three-run homer to give the Lady Bulldogs an early 50 advantage Howe would extend the lead before exiting the third inning when Dani Ross doubled to left scoring Griffin

In the bottom of the sixth, Blackburn scored on an Anderson ground ball Griffin also had an RBI single that scored Peyton Streetman. Hargrove would score the ninth and final run on a bad throw

On Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs could close it out with a game two win and they did just that by a 2012 score

Hargrove started in the circle and went four innings, allowing nine runs, but only four were earned She walked seven, struck out six and gave up seven hits in her 129 pitch performance. Stubblefield relieved her and she went the final three innings, giving up three runs, two of which were earned on four hits She walked two and struck out one

Howe was down 3-0 heading into the top of the second inning A Blackburn single scored Emily Sanders Later, Hargrove would bring home Hunter Brockelman on a single and Howe trailed 3-2 headed to the bottom of the second. However, the bottom of the second was not kind and it was 7-2 Grandview heading to the third

The Lady Bulldogs put together an eight-run inning in the third Ross had a two-run double to start the scoring Blckburn then laced a two-RBI double bringing Howe within one run, 7-6 Anderson's single drove home Blackburn to tie the game at seven A huge double by Griffin plated two to give Howe their first lead of the game She would later score on a throw and after two and a half, Howe led, 107

The score remained the same until the bottom of the fifth when Grandview put together a five-run inning But Howe answered right back with a four-run inning Griffin scoredon a pop up single by Ross Blackburn laced a double to left that scored Sanders and Kamryn Fulenchek Ross would score on a ground out by Streetman and Howe led 14-12 headed to the bottom of the sixth

The Lady Bulldogs had another six-run inning in the seventh

Blackburn finished with six RBI fore the game and went 5 for 6 at the plate Ross also had a big day with four RBI and 3 for 5 at the plate

As of publication time, a date and location has not been determined for the next round matchup with Peaster (20-5) who recently eliminated S&S in a one-game playoff Check the EVENTS page at howeenterprise com for information as it becomes available