LEADING OFF

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BEDFORD

The Seymour softball team wasn’t going to be denied a victory in its season opener Tuesday afternoon at Bedford North Lawrence.

The Owls took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, gave up two runs in the bottom of the sixth and came right back with a run in the top of the seventh for a 3-2 win.

With two outs and nobody on base in the top of the seventh, Rachel Kaufman and Baylee Robinson drew walks.

Lo Schmidt hit a fly down the field line that tailed away from the Stars’ left fielder.

She got her glove on the ball, then dove on the ground and rolled over with the ball ending up on the ground, and that enabled Kaufman to score the winning run.

With two outs and nobody on base in the top of the third, Robinson singled and Schmidt reached first base safely when the shortstop was unable to field her ground ball. Katie Suits followed with a drive into the right field corner that went for a triple and easily scored Robinson and Schmidt.

Kaufman, a freshman right-hander, went the distance on the mound to pick up the win.

She allowed six hits, two earned runs, she struck out three and walked two.

“Rachel was in a couple tough spots,” Owls coach Brian Personett said. “They had the bases loaded in the second inning and she got the ground out to get out of the inning. We’re not expecting her to throw strike outs. We’re wanting her to throw ground outs, pop ups, that sort of thing.

“She was in a tough spot in the sixth, and then they get a runner on in the seventh with the go-ahead runner at the plate and she got out of it. She did a pretty good job of throwing first-pitch strikes. I think she did a good job of just staying on the edges, not throwing the ball over the where they could hit the ball solid.”

With one out in the sixth, BNL’s Hailey Miller homered over the fence in left-center, and the next three Stars singled to produce the second run.

Personett started two freshman, Kaufman and Haley Mobley in left field.

“You don’t know exactly what you’re going to get, but I felt both of them played solid,” Personett said. “Both of them made some plays.”

Seymour had seven hits with Schmidt and Suits getting two apiece, while Robinson, Faith Rebber and Haley Westfall had singles.

The Owls also received two walks and struck out three times.

“It was a typical Bedford-Seymour game,” Personett said. “They’re always dogfights. Last year in the sectional we went nine innings with them.”

The Owls (1-0) will travel to Edinburgh on Thursday.

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