Things looked bleak for the Jefferson girls softball team Thursday until the Eagles busted loose for five runs in the fourth inning and slowly pulled away for a 7-4 win over Stanberry.
The Eagles got off to a lackluster start and fell behind 3-0 in the third before the comeback began.
Jefferson trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the third and was able to capitalize on two Bulldog errors to score five in the fourth. The Eagles added an insurance run in the sixth on an inside-the-park-homer by winning pitcher Kendle Schieber.
Both she and the Eagles improved to 2-0.
"I just think the girls stayed positive," said Jefferson head girls softball coach Deanna Bottorff. "They didn't get their heads down, and they kept working hard and getting good swings on the pitcher and being more aggressive at the plate."
In the game-changing fourth inning, singles by Jamie Degase and Kristina Bliley and two Stanberry errors preceded a two-run single by senior Taylor Luke to put the Eagles on top 4-3. After Luke's bloop hit, Jefferson's No. 3-4 hitters Schieber and Jill Henry added some thunder to the inning with RBI triples that sent the Bulldog outfielders scurrying back to the fence.
