From staff reports

sports@joplinglobe.com

The Webb City High School softball team won two games as the annual JSA Paige Neal/Christina Freeman Memorial Tournament opened on Thursday.

The Cardinals beat Neosho 7-1 and Raymore-Peculiar 5-3 in the tourney at Missouri Southern.

Host Joplin lost 4-1 to Park Hill South. Carl Junction split its games by beating Diamond 11-0 but losing 5-4 to Hillcrest.

Seneca beat McDonald County 1-0 in eight innings, Neosho stopped Diamond 4-0 and Blue Springs hurdled McDonald County 7-1 in other games.

Park Hill South scored two runs in the first inning against Joplin.

“We made some mistakes on the bases,” Joplin coach Kirk Harryman said. “Park Hill South came out hitting the ball well and we were playing catch-up the rest of the game.”

Joplin scored in the seventh on a triple by Arlisa Arwood and a single by Tiffani Gilbert.

Webb City tallied four runs in the fifth inning to break open its game against Neosho. Nicole Hudson and Brooklyn Farrell had two hits apiece for the Cardinals, including a triple by Hudson, and Morgan Coleman doubled during the four-run fifth.

Kreslee Ketcham and Jade Benhardt singled for Neosho’s two hits.

Seneca and McDonald County battled through seven scoreless innings before the Indians capitalized on two errors to score in the eighth. Seneca pitcher Kylie Sill struck out eight batters, and McDonald County’s Kaily Harvey fanned nine.

Carl Junction pulled away from Diamond with three runs in the third inning and four in the fourth. Maddie Stevenson and Kaitlin Wilson each hit a single and triple for the Bulldogs, and Kayla Campbell and Lauren McRae each had a double.

Cassie Sharon and Crystal Lane hit singles for Diamond.

The Bulldogs owned a 4-2 lead before Hillcrest struck for three runs in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Bailey Irving’s single.