In a doubleheader played at Atchison, Tonganoxie dropped Jeff West in five innings by a 12-2 score.

In game 2, however, Atchison jumped on THS early with a 4-0 lead after one inning and never looked back. The Chieftains eventually fell, 6-3.

“We just couldn’t string hits together,” THS coach Merri Samuels said. “I really think we’re the better team.

“They’re in our substate. I think we can beat them later.”

To defeat Atchison later in the season, Tonganoxie will have to make contact with the ball. The Chieftains had seven strikeouts against Atchison.

Overall, Samuels was pleased with her team’s hitting. Defensively, though, the team had some problems. In the first game, Samuels thought her team played tight, possibly the result of some first-game jitters.

In the second game, her team just needed to make better decisions.

“We didn’t necessarily make errors, but we tried to make plays at bases where there weren’t plays,” Samuels said.

Sophomore Mallory Cartwright accounted for all three RBI in the second game. She had a sac fly in an earlier inning and then drove in two runs in the sixth with a single.

In the first game, freshman Sarah Flaherty drove in four runs, while senior Laura Jeannin had a triple. Sophomore Amie Riddle also hit a triple and had two RBI.

“It was a boomer,” Samuels said of Riddle’s hit. “She just blasted it.”

Now 1-1 on the season, Tonganoxie will take on Basehor-Linwood on Thursday in Tonganoxie. Samuels said Basehor’s No. 1 pitcher throws hard, but some of her girls have faced the Basehor-Linwood pitcher in competitive summer leagues.

The doubleheader begins at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Tonganoxie originally was scheduled to play Mill Valley on Tuesday, but the game was postponed because several players were attending an FCCLA conference.

The make-up date is April 25. The game will be played in Tonganoxie.