BY MATT VINES
LOGANSPORT – Logansport softball players and coaching staff watched as Oak Grove celebrated an 18-5 victory in the 2023 Division IV Non-Select quarterfinals, punching their ticket to the semifinals in Sulphur.
Logansport led 5-4 heading into the seventh inning before Oak Grove amassed 14 runs in the final frame.
Coach Kyle Creech said that feeling is what’s fueled this season’s team, which won 16 of its first 17 games and has a 16-4 record.
“We watched Oak Grove for about two minutes, and nobody said a word,” Creech said. “Everybody knew what the goal was heading into this season – we wanted to make a trip to Sulphur and into the semifinals.
“It lit a fire under us that carried us through the offseason and into this season. We have eight returning starters and five (juniors) who are now seniors off that team, and we’ve done well so far.”
Logansport is searching for its first trip to Sulphur since 2019’s semifinals run, and the Lady Tigers are positioning themselves for another Sulphur trip as the No. 1 team in Division IV Non-Select in the latest power rankings Thursday.
But Logansport, which has rarely tasted defeat this season, will have to wash that taste out its mouth with three straight losses.
The Lady Tigers dropped games to tough teams like Sacred Heart and Iowa in the Sulphur Tournament this past weekend before falling 7-3 to LaSalle at home Tuesday.
“We had a hard time being consistent in Sulphur, but we did come back and play well against LaSalle,” Creech said. “Emmarie Atkins hit a solo home run and we had a 3-0 lead before LaSalle scored seven runs in the last two innings in part because of some defensive mistakes.
“We know that to win a state championship game in (Division IV Non-Select), we’re likely going to see our fellow district members LaSalle or Montgomery (or both). We want to make sure we’re consistently competing.”
Logansport’s five seniors – Avery Creech, McKyznie Smith, Izabelle Stroud, Madison Magee and Jordan Porterfield – form the backbone of the Lady Tigers squad.
Creech, the coach’s daughter, is the primary pitcher with a 9-2 record and a 3.34 ERA with 117 strikeouts and 16 appearances.
She rehabbed a knee injury suffered in the third game of her junior season to prepare for what was expected to be a special senior campaign.
Magee (.417 average with 23 runs scored) is a consistent bat while Smith (four home runs, 20 RBIs) can drive runners in.
Porterfield was the starting second baseman until multiple broken bones in her left hand has forced her to sit for the past couple weeks.
Younger players also play big roles as eighth-grader Ainsley Morvan is the leading hitter for the second straight season. Morvan is hitting .540 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs.
Her and sophomore Kennedi Smith (.389 average with 33 RBIs) are key hitters and pitchers.
While the Lady Tigers know District 3-1A with LaSalle and Montgomery will prepare them well for the playoffs, Creech said he’s strengthened the non-district schedule to assist with that task.
Logansport is 7-1 against Class 4A and Class 5A teams – beating the likes of Airline, Captain Shreve, Parkway, Haughton and Evangel Christian.
The lone loss came to reigning three-time champion North DeSoto (Division II Non-Select).
“We are more tested than we have been in the past,” said Creech, who has led Logansport to four quarterfinals and one semifinals appearance since taking over in 2018. “We’ve won some tough games and dropped some tough games.
“If we compete for all seven innings, I feel like we’ll come out on top.”
Logansport had just one previous quarterfinals appearance in the 21st century.
With just a little more than two weeks left in the regular season, the Lady Tigers will attempt to hold onto that top seed and put itself in the best position to make this senior class’s first playoff trip to Sulphur.