Season ends for Lady Indians at regional tournament

The Comanche softball team went 1-2 at the Perry regional and was eliminated from the postseason last week.

The Lady Indians opened with a win over Casady and stayed close to the host in their second game before a late surge by the Maroon sealed the game. The loss knocked the Lady Indians back into the loser’s bracket on Friday where Casady would avenge their loss from the day before to end the season for Comanche.

Comanche finished the season with an 8-26  record. The Lady Indians lose seniors Jentry Whaley, Caity Ramsey and Lexi Feldman to graduation, but they will return several younger players who gained valuable experience this season.

Comanche broke open a close game with a seven-run sixth inning to pull away for the win.

The Lady Indians never trailed, gaining a 3-0 lead over the first two innings. Casady scored two runs in the third inning, but Comanche shut them down from that point.

Catcher Jaylee Roebuck led the charge by going 3-for-4 at the plate, including two doubles and a home run. Whaley went 4-for-5 and Raelee Ellis went 3-for-4 with three RBI as Comanche pounded out 15 hits. McKenzie Graham was 2-for-4 with a double and Cassidy Smith was 3-for-3 with a double.

Whaley started the game on the mound and picked up the win. She gave up six hits and two earned runs while striking out four and walking one. She was replaced by Cloey Kinkade in the fifth inning, who closed out the game by allowing no hits the rest of the way.  

The Lady Indians came tantalizingly close to pulling off a shocker in their game against the defending state champs, but they could not overcome Perry’s pitching and the Maroon’s eight-run sixth inning.

Perry took a 1-0 lead in the third inning and held it until their offensive explosion in the sixth. 

Perry pitcher Joely Kukuk took a no-hitter into the seventh inning where Jentry Whaley blasted a solo home run to lead off the inning for the Lady Indians’ first and only hit of the game.

Comanche pitcher Cloey Kinkade kept her team in the game through the first five innings before the Maroon got to her in the sixth. Lexi Feldman finished out the game.

The Lady Indians had one comeback, but could not put together another as Casady won in extra innings to end Comanche’s season.

Comanche trailed 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh when Jentry Whaley hit an RBI single to score Cassidy Smith from third to tie the game and send it to extra innings.

The Lady Cyclones were not to be denied and posted four runs in the top half of the eighth inning to take a 7-3 lead. 

Comanche still had some fight left. Caity Ramsey tripled to open the bottom of the eighth inning and scored on an RBI single by Rylee Pipken. But that would be it for the Lady Indians as they could not muster any more runs.