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CANTON TOPPLES PARIS WITH STOUT DEFENSE

ByRemington Yates

Canton, MO – The Canton Lady Tigers faced a challenging task, having battled many strong opponents throughout the season, but they finally broke through against one of their toughest yet. The Paris Lady Coyotes came to Cotton Bowl Field with a 17-2 record and a #10 state ranking in Class 2, looking to rebound from a loss to the Harrisburg Bulldogs. Brenna Brewer took the start once again for the Tigers, while Ava Crain started for the Coyotes.

The Tigers came out ready, holding Paris scoreless in the first and striking first in the bottom half. A bunt from Chayse Uhlmeyer forced an error that allowed her to score and give Canton an early lead. Paris answered quickly, tying it 1-1 on an RBI single from Raygen Crum. Canton responded in the second, retaking the lead on a sacrifice groundout by Dannica Lewis and a two-run single from Uhlmeyer.

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Chayse Uhlmeyer makes contact with a ball in game against Paris

Paris battled back again in the third with an RBI single from Emma Ashenfelter and a two-run home run by senior Reese Sutton, evening the game at 4-4. The Tigers’ defense stood tall to keep it tied, with key plays from Izzy Baker at second and Addelyn Baker at third closing out the inning. The defense shone again in the fourth, as Izzy made two more plays before Addelyn ended the frame.

Canton reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Uhlmeyer doubled home a run to make it 5-4. The Coyotes threatened in the fifth with a runner in scoring position, but the Tigers’ defense came through once more. Izzy Baker handled two groundouts before Claire Whiston made the save of the game — a full-extension grab on a short pop fly near first — to end the inning and preserve the lead.

Claire Whiston makes a reaching grab at first base

The Tigers added insurance in the fifth as a fielder’s choice allowed Whiston to score, extending the lead to 6-4. Addelyn Baker anchored the defense again in the sixth, fielding three grounders at third to keep Canton in control.

Addelyn Baker makes a play at third base during the Sixth Inning

“It was just so awesome,” Addelyn said. “I love being part of the team, and I love being able to pull my weight, make those plays, and get that win.” Baker finished with five putouts, the most on the team. “Addelyn Baker did a great job over there,” said Coach Kevin Jarvis. “We’ve been preaching to her — get everything you can.”

The Lady Tigers held firm in the seventh, retiring three straight to lock up a hard-earned victory over the #10 Paris Lady Coyotes.

“That was outstanding,” said Jarvis. “This was our signature win of the year. We’ve been close all year long to upsetting some state-ranked teams. This is the seventh game we’ve had against a state-ranked team, and we finally knocked one off. It’s a great win for us and gives us a ton of momentum going into the postseason.”

The Tigers finished the game with zero errors on the night. The Tigers improve to 13-13 on the season. They will travel to Scotland County for a district match on Thursday, October 9th.

KEY STATS

Canton Tigers

  • Chayse Uhlmeyer: 3-for-4, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 2B
  • Addelyn Baker: 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 R, 5 Putouts
  • Brenna Brewer (W): 7.0 IP, 4 K, 4 ER

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