When Calvary Lutheran got down in Monday's district championship game, it answered. On Wednesday, the Lady Lions found themselves down from the start, but this time they couldn't keep up.
Pilot Grove (19-7) scored multiple runs in four different innings to beat Calvary Lutheran (15-7) 10-2 in the Class 1 sectional round. The Lady Tigers will host Clopton (18-8) on Saturday in the quarterfinals.
"A great group of girls, great group of players," Calvary Lutheran coach Denice Burks said. "They are hard workers, they are good hitters, they are good fielders. It just didn't happen for us tonight."
It was the first ever sectional game for the Lady Lions, and Burks said the team was a bit nervous.
"They came in pretty anxious and nervous," she said. "We tried not to come in that way, but we did come in that way."
Pilot Grove led off the game with a pair of singles. An error after the second one allowed Reagan Walker to score from first base.
Emily Schupp would score when Samarah Bailey reached on an error.
Calvary pitcher Presley Welch was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout, limiting the damage to two runs.
The bottom half of the first started well for the Lady Lions. Anna Zimmerman and Amanda Braun drew back-to-back walks.
Calvary had runners at second and third following a strikeout, fielder's choice and a stolen base, but Bailey got her second of nine strikeouts to end the inning.
"I feel like if we would have scored in that first inning and answered theirs, that would have helped," Burks said. "I still thought we answered in the first couple innings. We still did fine."
The Lady Tigers added two more runs in the second to lead 4-0.
Lily McCarty got the Lady Lions on the board in a big way with a leadoff solo homer to right-center field in the second inning.
Calvary got to within two in the third as Samantha Matthews singled to center field, and Braun scored from first on a fielding error.
The Lady Lions didn't get many scoring chances after that.
The best opportunity came in the fifth when Braun led off by reaching on an error and advancing to second on a fielder's choice.
Abbie Klatt then singled to put runners at first and second before a strikeout and infield popup ended the threat.
"We're good hitters," Burks said. " Normally we don't let ourselves get down so fast. I think we got down too quick."
Bailey retired Calvary in order in the sixth and ended the game with a strikeout to strand a Lady Lion at third. Bailey surrendered six hits with her lone two walks coming in the first inning.
For Calvary, Welch had three of her six strikeouts in the third and retired the Lady Tigers in order in the seventh. She walked none while allowing the 10 runs on 13 hits.
"She did good. She is a good pitcher," Burks said. "She moves that ball around. If they hit it in one spot, their next at-bat we tried to stay away from that spot, and they might have hit it in the other spot. They came to hit tonight."
Pilot Grove extended its lead to 7-2 when Natalie Rentel smacked a three-run home run to left field in the fifth. Pilot Grove added three more runs in the sixth.
Braun is the lone senior for the Lady Lions, who will return 12 players next season.
"They've got a lot ahead of them yet," Burks said "A lot of young ones have time to come yet."