Holeman’s Heroics Lift Bobcats to Split with Shawnee

Coach Jeremy Ellis and his Bobcats Softball team hosted Shawnee Community College at Southwest Park in Fairfield on a breezy Sunday afternoon, marking the first meeting between the two teams this season. The doubleheader featured plenty of offense and a dramatic finish, as the teams split the day.

Game 1 – Shawnee 16, Frontier 7

Frontier battled early but couldn't keep pace with Shawnee in a high-scoring opener, falling 16-7.

Shawnee struck first in the opening inning with a three-run home run from Kayden Glover. Frontier responded in the second, taking a 4-3 lead after Peyton Smith delivered an RBI single.

The Saints answered right back in the third, regaining a 7-4 advantage behind timely hits from Glover, Shelby Grove, and Zoey Linton. Frontier tied things up in the bottom half of the inning with contributions from Hessi Johnson, Kyndall Webb, and Kayleigh Fodge.

Shawnee pulled away for good in the fourth, breaking the tie on an RBI single from Kiernyn Bond, followed by a wild pitch that extended the lead. The Saints continued to add on from there to secure the win.

Frontier totaled 12 hits in the loss, led by Alicia Stanley, who went 3-for-4. Fodge, Johnson, Webb, Smith, and Stanley each drove in a run.

Shawnee racked up 15 hits, with Glover driving in six runs and Bond going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate. The Saints also applied pressure on the basepaths, stealing seven bases.

Game 2 – Frontier 4, Shawnee 3 (8 innings)

Frontier responded in thrilling fashion in the nightcap, walking off Shawnee for a 4-3 victory in eight innings.

The Bobcats got on the board early when Chloe Papineau launched a two-run home run in the first inning. Shawnee answered in the third to tie the game, then took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on a passed ball.

Harper Holeman evened the score in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run, setting the stage for a back-and-forth finish.

After both teams were held scoreless through the late innings, Frontier delivered in the eighth. With the game tied at three, Holeman came through again, singling to bring home the winning run and complete the walk-off victory.

Holeman led the Bobcats at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, and the game-winning RBI. Papineau added two RBIs and also earned the win in the circle, going the distance while allowing just one earned run and striking out four.

Peyton Smith added two hits for Frontier.

Shawnee was led by Kiernyn Bond and Kylie Kleppin, with Kleppin collecting two hits from the leadoff spot. The Saints played clean defensively, turning a double play and committing no errors.

Frontier and Shawnee split the doubleheader, with the Bobcats using a dramatic walk-off win to close out the day on a high note.