The Helias Lady Crusaders used a five-run fourth inning and another efficient outing in the circle from Alexa Rehmeier to beat the Battle Spartans 6-2 on Wednesday at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex.
Rehmeier came very close to her first career solo no-hitter against Battle. She gave up two earned runs, two hits and a walk while striking out 11 in seven innings of work, throwing first-pitch strikes to 22-of-25 batters faced and 72 strikes in 95 pitches.
After giving up a leadoff walk to start the game, she set down nine Spartans in a row, five on strikes, before issuing a hit by pitch to start the fourth. Rehmeier responded by striking out five of the next seven batters she faced, then got a groundout back to the circle to put two away in the top of the sixth inning.
But Brooke Nutter doubled just inside the third-base bag for the first hit of the game, then Journey Polacek homered on a long fly ball to left-center to break up the shutout.
Rehmeier threw six no-hit innings in last year's Class 3 District 9 title game win against Blair Oaks, and Lauren Howell entered in the seventh to earn the combined no-hitter.
"She's come close in the district championship game and one other time last year," coach Chris Wyrick said of Rehmeier after the win. " She's starting to get her feel for what she's doing out there."
It took Helias (13-5, 3-0 Central Missouri Activities Conference) a few innings to figure out Nutter's pitching habits. Other than a two-out single by Payton Dudenhoeffer in the second, the game was shaping up to be a pitcher's duel.
Then Cori Verslues drew a walk to start the third, Ava Morris bunted for an infield hit and Liv Bloomer laid down a sacrifice to move courtesy runner Audrey Ickes and Morris into scoring position. Ella Meyer drove in Ickes for the first run of the game with a grounder to second.
Paige Schaffer walked to start the fourth and courtesy runner Karoline Klebba stole second, and Kendyll Rackers' single to right brought Klebba in to make it 2-0. Dudenhoeffer singled again as part of her 2-for-3 day at the plate, and Molly Berkey's 1-4 sacrifice again put two in scoring position with one out.
Verslues came through. She singled back up the middle to score Rackers and Dudenhoeffer and give the Lady Crusaders a 4-0 lead.
"Cori's single was a huge hit in the game, if you look at the score," Wyrick said. "If she doesn't get that hit, we probably don't get another couple runs, because she took second base on the throw. That's her big thing, and all of them, if they'll just hit the pitch where it's pitched, and not try to do too much, then they give themselves a better chance to hit."
Morris moved Ickes up with a sacrifice, and Bloomer reached on an error by the shortstop to make it 5-0. Meyer and Mallorey Rogers then hit back-to-back singles, but Rogers was called out at second trying to advance.
The Lady Crusaders threatened again in the sixth on singles by pinch hitters Reece Chiles and Klebba, but Rehmeier did not need any more insurance runs, closing out the seventh with a strikeout, a flyout and a groundout.
Helias is off until Monday, when Rock Bridge (13-0, 3-0 CMAC) comes to town for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch at the Legion Complex. The Bruins defeated Father Tolton 1-0 in 11 innings Wednesday.