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Wildcats walk off in district semi win

RIO GRANDE — Riley Schweikert’s two-out single in the bottom of the seventh plated Alayna Jones to give Waterford a 4-3 win and send the Wildcats to Saturday’s Division IV district final.

Alayna Jones stood at first with two outs before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. She then scored on Schweikert’s game-ending line drive.

The Wildcats will play Notre Dame, who beat South Webster Thursday, at 1 p.m. Saturday at the University of Rio Grande.

Adah Smitley pitched two innings of relief to earn the win. Starter Emma Baldwin pitched the first five innings in the no-decision.

Manchester’s Brooke Kennedy worked all 6 2-3 innings, striking out three in the loss. Kennedy was one of three Manchester players with multiple hits. She was 2 for 3, Josie Campbell was 2 for 4, Madison Jones was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI and Yasmin Lucas was 2 for 3 with a solo home run. Taylor Morrison added a double.

Down 1-0 in their first at-bat, the Wildcats quickly responded and tied things up. Cara Taylor reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second before coming around to score on Marissa Neader’s RBI single.

Manchester went back up in the top of the third. Kennedy led off with a single, went to third on an error and scored on a fielder’s choice.

Waterford took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Denise Young hit a one-out single, and courtesy runner Josie Elliott came around to score on Alayna Jones’ RBI double. Jones then scored the go-ahead run on Riley Schweikert’s RBI single to make it 3-2.

Manchester knotted it back up at 3-all in the top of the sixth when Lucas led off with a solo home run. MHS then got a double from Morrison and a single from McKensie Bell, but Morrison was thrown out at home trying to score to preserve the tie and set up Schweikert’s heroics.

Schweikert was 3 for 4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs.

Brier Offenberger, Neader, Young and Jones all were 2 for 4.

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