Alburnett trips Lisbon in 2A regional

LISBON — As she strode to the plate, Kassidy Rose held a single-minded conversation with herself:

Don't roll the wrist. Don't roll the wrist.

'That's all I wanted. Go up there and hit like I hit in the cage,' she said.

Rose hit a go-ahead home run — her first of the season — in the third inning, then added an RBI single in a blow-it-open three-run seventh as Alburnett upended Lisbon, 5-1, in a Class 2A softball regional quarterfinal Wednesday night at Bob Bunting Field.

The Pirates (20-18) feasted on five Lisbon errors and advanced to face North Linn in a regional semifinal here Friday. The Lynx (25-13) edged Jesup, 6-5, Wednesday.

'(Coach) Kevin (Johnson) always does a heck of a job getting them ready for the tournament,' said Lisbon Coach Bob Bunting, whose team retired at 29-12.

'We knew that coming in. And that was probably our worst outing of the year.'

Lisbon swept the Pirates on June 19 on its way to the Tri-Rivers Conference title, but this was a new day, and a far different result.

Three of Alburnett's five runs were unearned.

The mistakes started right away. Kayla Hospodarsky scored Alburnett's first run on a two-out, strike-three passed ball in the top of the first, and the Pirates never trailed.

Lisbon got even at 1-1 in the bottom of the second, when Sam Schrantz plated Morgan Kortemeyer with a two-out single.

With two outs in the top of the third, Rose hit an 0-1 pitch beyond the left-field fence, giving the Pirates the lead for good.

Rose was 3-for-4 and reached base all four times she batted.

Apparently, she didn't roll her wrist.

Amber Porter shut the Lions down from there, pitching a four-hitter.

Porter had missed the past three weeks with a sore shoulder. She pitched an inning in a first-round win Monday.

'It doesn't hurt right now,' she said. 'Maybe it's the adrenalin. I was a little slower tonight; maybe that threw them off a little.'

Maddy Schuchmann started the top of the seventh with a triple to left, then scored on an error. Rose and Porter provided RBI singles to extend the lead to 5-1.

'That's 1A and 2A softball for you,' Johnson said. 'If you hit the spots, play some defense and score a few runs, you're in business.'

The Pirates made solid contact against Lisbon pitcher Skylar Sadler, striking out just five times and collecting eight hits.

'It's good we had faced her once before,' Porter said. 'We focused on laying off the ball when it was out of the zone.'

ALBURNETT 5, LISBON 1

Class 2A Regional Quarterfinal, at Lisbon

Alburnett 101 100 3 — 5-8 1

Lisbon 010 000 0 — 1 4 5

Amber Porter and Maddy Schuchmann. Skylar Sadler and Reegan Happel. W — Porter (11-6). L — Sadler (19-7). HR — ALB: Kassidy Rose (1).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com