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Sports

Ladue Softball Breaks Losing Streak

The Rams score eight in the first en route to win over high-scoring University City.

It may not have been the prettiest win of the season.

But it was a win and that was what the Ladue softball team needed Tuesday. The Rams scored early and often in a 19-9 victory over University City at Ladue Middle School. The win broke a five-game losing streak for the Rams.

"We just needed to get a win and get some confidence," Ladue sophomore shortstop Jessica Mormol said. "We had been right on the hump of winning but we were playing some bigger schools. We really needed this today.

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"This is a rebuilding season with some new coaches. We are learning some new things and I think we are getting on the right track at the right time."

Ladue got off to a roaring start with eight runs in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Natasha Medler and second place hitter Danni Dub set the tone for the inning and the game.

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Medler and Dub were both on base on all four of their plate appearances in the game. Medler was three-for-three with a walk and scored four times. Dub had a single, double and triple and scored three times.

University City, which has averaged double figures scoring for the season, did not have a hit in the first three innings off Natalie Grimm. But they broke loose and made things interesting with a six-run fourth inning. Amani Borders, Kayla Heidelberg and Ashley Hughes had consecutive hits in the inning.

Ladue answered though with five runs in the bottom of the inning. The Lions added a pair of runs in the fifth, one coming on a home run by Heidelberg. But the Rams scored three with no outs in the bottom of the inning and the game was stopped because of the 10-run rule.

"I guess you could call this a good offensive game," Ladue coach Jennifer Tuttle said. "They have a really quick team and they can hit the ball. But we made good solid contact all day long. We were looking to break the streak and this was a good win for us."

The Rams improved to 5-10 for the season. University City dropped to 9-5. The Lions have been involved in numerous slugfests this season. They have scored 27, 25, 22, 21 and 18 runs but have also allowed 23, 19, 19 18 and 16.

"We have lost our normal pitcher (Ariel Neely) and our regular shortstop (Keina Henderson) for the season," Lions coach Janet Schaffer said. "We have gotten some good contributions from players like Kayla Heidelberg, who had the homer today, along with Liz Parker and Jordan Jennings. Jordan is a freshman who is new to softball and has done a good job behind the plate.

"We hit the ball well and we have a lot of team speed. But we always seem to have that one bad inning."

That proved to be the first inning Tuesday and was the catalyst as the Rams broke their losing streak.

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