Bethalto – The Collinsville High School softball team has scored in double digits in all three games this season, including Monday’s 14-8 victory at Bethalto Civic Memorial.

Jessica Ledford / Photo by Roger Starkey

Kassidy Smith smacked a first-inning home run, scoring Jessica Ledford – who had doubled to lead off the game – to give the Kahoks an early 2-0 lead. The long ball was Smith’s fourth this season, after hitting three in 2013. She has homered in all three games this season.

The Eagles cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning thanks to an error on the leadoff batter, who advanced on a wild pitch and later scored on a run-scoring, two-out single. Bethalto scored two more in the bottom of the second to take their only lead of the game, at 3-2.

Smith started a three-run, third inning rally when she drew a two-out walk. The next two hitters reached via a fielder’s choice, before Samantha Buettner smacked a three-run single

Bethalto wasted little time tying the game, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the third without the benefit of a hit. CHS pitcher Addison Wickiser, making her first varsity start, walked the first two batters she faced in the inning before being replaced by Sidney Bost, who retired three of the next four base runners. The fourth reached on an error that scored the two runners that had advanced to second and third on a passed ball.

The tie ballgame was short-lived, with the Kahoks scoring seven times in the top of the fourth inning, to take the lead for good and give Bost the win. Smith, Caitlyn Brombolich and Sarah Scrum each had two-RBI singles in the inning for Collinsville, which sent 11 batters to the plate.

Although Bost got the win, she pitched only two innings. She and the umpire disagreed on the definition of a legal pitch and, as usually happens, the umpire won. Collinsville Head Coach Cindy Kolda sided with her pitcher, but said Bost should have made adjustments.

“Everyone has a different interpretation of the rule. As far as I read the rule, she was OK with what she was doing,” Kolda said. “It’s a judgment thing, but we need to get it to where it’s not close enough to be a judgment thing.”

Once a pitcher gets an illegal pitch called on them, it is pretty much a head game at that point, Kolda said.

Each team played a bit sloppy. Collinsville committed four errors and Bethalto three errors. Each team gave away six walks. Despite scoring eight runs, the Eagles managed only three hits against Kahok pitching.

“We weren’t completely satisfied that we gave up eight runs on three hits, but at the end of the day, we got a ‘W,'” Kolda said. “Hopefully everyone learned something and we can move forward.”

Ledford matched Bethalto with three hits. Smith, Buettner and Scrum had two each. The four have all had multiple hits in the first three games of the season. Brombolich pitched the final three innings despite being hit on the pinky finger of her pitching hand while batting.

The Kahoks host Dupo Tuesday in their home opener. The game starts at 4:30 at the Collinsville Sports Complex.