SIKESTON — Perryville rallied from behind to snatch a 6-5 victory over Sikeston at the Sports Complex on Tuesday, Sep. 10.

The lead changed hands several times, with both teams taking advantage of the other’s mistakes.

“We took a big step up mentally,” said Perryville coach Jim Simpson. “The thing that has been holding us back is confidence. Things started going bad and we would put our heads down, but today Sikeston had us on the ropes and our girl really stepped it up.”

Sikeston got on the board early in the bottom of the first inning, as Dakota Thompson scored on a dropped third strike to give the Lady Bulldogs (1-6) an early lead, but the Lady Pirates (1-4) answered in the top of the second with back-to-back RBI doubles by Marley Seabaugh and Madeleine Gremaud, taking a 2-1 advantage.

“You have to give credit to Perryville,” said Sikeston coach Wyatt Pratt. “They just wanted it more than us.”

Sikeston quickly tied it up in the bottom half of the inning when Alexa Lee scored on an error.

The Lady Bulldogs then took control of the game in the third inning, scoring three runs to extend their lead to 5-2. Those runs came when Cambree Scott singled to score Thompson, Marlie Crooks doubled to score Scott and Chloe Hamby crossed home plate on a ground out by Lily Robbins.

Perryville chipped away at the lead in the fourth inning, with Gremaud’s RBI triple cutting the deficit to 5-3. The Lady Pirates then tied the game in the fifth inning when Ava Robles and Rhylee Wengert scored on the same error. On the very next at-bat, Lillian Cowell stole home to give Perryville a 6-5 lead.

Cowell, a freshman, not only scored the game-winning run but also pitched a complete game and earned the first win of her varsity career. She allowed just three earned runs on four hits while striking out 12 batters.

“Defensively, it starts with pitching and catching,” Simpson said. “Offensively, we just started swinging the bat up and down the order. We had some big at-bats and played a little bit of small ball. It was a total team effort. They stuck with it, kept battling and came out on top.”

Hamby also pitched a complete game but took the loss despite a solid performance. She allowed three earned runs on 11 hits while striking out seven batters.

“The biggest standout was Chloe Hamby again,” Pratt said. “She gave it her all and was great all game long. She had her stuff going and she mixed it up well. She made some big pitches in some big situations. She was a leader for us, but she just needed a little more help.”

Sikeston travels to Saxony Lutheran (6-1) on Wednesday, Sep. 11, while Perryville hosts Hillsboro on Thursday, Sep. 12.

“We are learning the game and returning to the fundamentals,“ Pratt said. “We are improving and our swings are getting better. It just takes time.”