Kelly bangs out 6-0 victory over Elsberry

BENTON, Mo. -- Rhonda Evans saw what her lineup could do in the first two innings Wednesday afternoon.

There wasn't a moment of doubt after that.

No Kelly batters struck out and only two walked, and their confidence at the plate turned into the six hits that fueled a 6-0 defeat of Elsberry in a Class 2 sectional game.

"It seemed like we had more hits than we actually had," said Evans, the Kelly coach whose team reached the state semifinal round three years ago. "Everybody was putting the ball in play -- left field, right field, in the gap.

"After two innings, our side had seen the pitcher and already put it in play, and I knew then we'd hardly have any strikeouts at all. I felt pretty confident."

Kelly (19-6) earned a spot in Saturday's noon quarterfinal round at Kirkwood Athletic Association Complex. The win avenged a loss to Elsberry (17-5) in the sectional round a year ago.

Kelly's six hits combined with four Elsberry errors to produce all six runs between the third and sixth innings. Ashley Kern had one-third of Kelly's offense and was 2-for-3. Kelly Essner, Monica Senciboy, Michelle Collins and Stephanie Hency had a hit apiece.

"This has been a good hitting team," Evans said. "Offensively, this is one the better teams I've had in a while. We've had tougher defenses in the past, but these girls seldom strike out. One or two strikeouts, that's about it for them."

Whitney Beggs (8-5) pitched the shutout and struck out seven and walked two. She held Elsberry to two hits.

Kelly matched Elsberry with four errors. The misplays came as a surprise to Evans.

"Those came from players who don't usually make errors, so that's an area to focus on this week," she said. "When you get to this point in the season, you don't really teach them anything new. It's a matter of going back over everything they already know, going over it mentally, getting sharper.

"One thing that'll make it easier is that now the girls say they're excited about getting back to practice this week."