Scott City's Olivia Ponder powers Rams to Class 2 District 2 softball crown

Scott City first basemen Olivia Ponder hits the ball in Wednesday's Class 2 District 2 semifinal against Bloomfield at Woodland High School.

J.C. Reeves ~ jcreeves@semoball.com

MARBLE HILL — Scott City’s Olivia Ponder hit a home run in back-to-back games to help lead the Rams to the Class 2 District 2 championship in 9-7 and 9-6 wins over Bloomfield and Clearwater, respectively, Wednesday at Woodland High School.

During the bottom of the third inning in the Rams’ semifinal against Bloomfield, Ponder hit a two-run homer to right field, which prompted the Wildcats to intentionally walk her during her next three trips to the plate.

“It was definitely frustrating,” Ponder said. “A lot of hard work goes into my swing so when people walk me it’s frustrating. I get it, it's a respect thing, but I like to hit. It's fun for me.”

If hitting the ball is fun for Ponder, she had a blast in the nightcap.

Ponder went 3-for-4 at the plate with another two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth to extend the Rams’ lead to 9-6. She also reached base on an error in the bottom of the third.

Ponder’s teammate, Mackenzie Lawless (two total hits, one double, one home run and two RBIs), broke a 6-6 tie in the sixth with a solo home run.

“Both Ponder and Mackenzie are hitting over .500. They put the ball in play,” Scott City coach Alexis Atchley said. “They're hard workers, and they get the job done for us. That's why they're up in the top of the lineup.”

The Scott City softball team celebrates winning the Class2 District 2 championship following a 9-6 victory over Clearwater on Wednesday at Woodland High School.

J.C. Reeves ~ jcreeves@semoball.com

Over both games, Ponder went 4-for-6 at the plate with two home runs and five RBIs.

Both games were back-and-forth contests, but Scott City capitalized in clutch situations to ultimately take home the district crown. The Rams started off slow in the semifinal matchup against Bloomfield (8-10), surrendering four runs in the first three innings.

Logan Schiwitz tossed the first 2 1/3 innings for Scott City against Bloomfield before being replaced by Alyssa Dirden in the circle. Dirden gave up six hits but struck out nine against the Wildcats in 4 2/3 innings.

“Schiwitz runs track as well,” Atchley said, “so she’s been kind of hit-and-miss on things. She hasn’t got to throw a ton, especially with rain. She’s had track, she’s had things like that, so we’ve also pitched Alyssa Dirden all season, and she’s a girl that can come in and do what she needs to do.”

Despite being pulled from pitching early against Bloomfield, Schiwitz – who finished first place in Scott City’s division in all four of her events during Saturday’s SEMO Conference track meet – closed the game out big in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run walk-off double to center field. She finished with four total hits, two doubles and two RBIs.

“We’ve been a really good hitting team all season,” Atchley said. “There was one time we won 12 games and scored 130 runs within those 12 games. So there’s never a doubt in my mind that we can’t hit the ball, put the ball in play, score and capitalize on whatever they throw at us. That’s never been an issue for us.”

The Rams started off hot in the championship game against Clearwater (14-10), opening with a 3-0 lead in the first inning before giving up four runs in the fourth. After the game was tied entering the bottom of the sixth, the Rams scored three runs, which would ultimately be enough to topple the Tigers.

In addition to Ponder, Lawless and Schiwitz’s big games at the plate, Dirden (three total hits, one double and three RBIs) and Avery O’Brien (five total hits, three doubles and one RBI) also contributed.

Scott City (14-8) advances to play either Kennett or Senath-Hornersville in the first round of the state tournament. That game will be played on May 13.